


My Sweet and Tender Beast

by sinchun



Series: NCT Life in a Pack [13]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alpha Lee Taeyong, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Beta Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun, Choking, Claiming Bites, Dom/sub Undertones, Doyoung is a masochist, Explicit Sexual Content, Getting Back Together, Getting Together, Jaehyun has a praise kink but it's pretty glossed over, Knotting, Light Angst, M/M, Mating Bites, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Nesting, Omega Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Pack Dynamics, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Rimming, Scenting, Threesome - M/M/M, but only in the beginning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:54:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28964214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinchun/pseuds/sinchun
Summary: Doyoung feels caught between his past with Jaehyun and his present with Taeyong, afraid of what the future might hold.Taeyong still wants Doyoung, even if he’s not sure how to untangle the knot of Doyoung pining for Jaehyun. He can’t really blame Doyoung for that one. If it weren’t for Doyoung, Taeyong might be tempted to pursue Jaehyun himself.Jaehyun never imagined he’d be allowed to have this happiness, but he’s determined to make it work.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Lee Taeyong, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong, Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Lee Taeyong
Series: NCT Life in a Pack [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2043016
Comments: 45
Kudos: 243





	1. Taeyong, 2019

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the culmination of the series’s main canon ([Lead](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27899764) → [This Moment is a Good Thing (You’re Looking at Me)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28001616) → [Your Scent On My Skin](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28056648) → [Maybe If I Tell Myself Enough](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28616535) → [When It Gets Risky](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28798026)). “Your Scent On My Skin” and the 1st and 3rd chapters of “When It Gets Risky” are probably the only really _required_ readings to follow this one. Beyond the main canon, secondary reading recommendations would be [In Bloom](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27944945) and [Amaryllis and Yarrow](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27978900) (or at least the last section from Taeyong’s POV).
> 
> I have three chapters planned for this fic, but might end up including an epilogue, so stay tuned for the number of chapters to maybe change.

Taeyong finds himself arguing with Doyoung more in the wake of Ten and Kun giving each other mating bites. He can’t help it. He’s envious of their bond, and confused and hurt as to why Doyoung keeps refusing to exchange so much as a temporary claiming bite with him, even though they’ve been all but exclusive for close to a year.

 _Can’t he see that I’m crazy about him?_ he thinks despairingly. _I’d do anything to make him happy._

His love for the omega snuck up on him over the years. He doesn’t know when exactly he began thinking of Doyoung as not just his best friend but also as his partner. And while there are other members in the pack that Taeyong adores and is attracted to and has enjoyed sleeping with—Jaehyun being the most recent—he just doesn’t see the appeal in anyone else, not when he has Doyoung.

Except that he doesn’t have Doyoung. Not fully.

It had been a shock, like a bucket of ice water being tossed over him, when Doyoung had turned down his suggestion that they claim each other. Taeyong had been so certain he would say yes. The big NCT 2018 project had just wrapped up, and everyone was elated with the energy of finishing a successful promotion period, sharing drinks and partying in the 127 dorm. Taeyong had turned to Doyoung with his heart full of affection, and the question had just slipped out: “Do you want to give each other claiming bites?”

And Doyoung’s eyes had darkened as he shook his head. “No, I don’t want to,” he replied quietly and avoided Taeyong for the rest of the night.

But their behavior didn’t change. Doyoung still went to Taeyong for his heats, and Taeyong still went to Doyoung for his ruts, and they continued to be at each other’s side, acting like perfect partners. So Taeyong thought, _Maybe he just wasn’t ready then._ So he asked Doyoung again in early 2019.

“I said no.” Doyoung’s voice was firm, his face a practiced neutral, giving away nothing, and Taeyong’s heart ached as he wondered if Doyoung didn’t feel the same way about him.

Except—and maybe Taeyong was deluding himself—there was so much love in everything Doyoung did for him. The way he held his hand and nagged him about not getting enough rest, and how he brought him water bottles during rehearsals and kissed him every night before bed.

By the time Ten and Kun take each other as mates, Taeyong has asked Doyoung to claim him four times and has been rebuffed four times.

Doyoung’s rejection clouds everything Taeyong does. It drives him to pick fights with Doyoung over the stupidest things, like whose turn it is to pick what they’re going to watch for their dorm’s weekly movie night.

“You’re being so fucking childish,” Haechan grumbles. His foul mouth has only gotten worse since he presented as an alpha the year before, and privately, Taeyong blames Taeil for it. “Not even Chenle and Jisungie are this bad, I hope you know that.”

“It’s not my fault that Doyoung can’t remember that Jungwoo picked last week, so therefore it’s Mark’s choice tonight,” snaps Taeyong.

Mark groans. “Hyung,” he begins, but Jungwoo beats him to it.

“You two are ruining movie night,” he whines, kicking listlessly at Doyoung from his spot next to Yuta on the couch. “What is going on, hmm?”

“I don’t…” Doyoung’s voice is quiet, his eyes downcast. He looks small and sad, and Taeyong instantly regrets his pettiness.

He regrets it even more when Yuta reaches out to give Doyoung’s hand a reassuring squeeze. Yuta’s eyes are knowing, and it bothers Taeyong. “Maybe you should talk about it?” he suggests, gaze flickering back and forth between Doyoung and Taeyong.

 _What is there to talk about?_ thinks Taeyong, grinding his teeth in frustration. _I thought that Doyoung and I had something special, but clearly, he doesn’t agree._

The silence is suffocating.

“You guys suck,” says Haechan spitefully. “I’m going to go hang out in the Dream dorm. Mark-hyung, you with me?”

Mark gets to his feet, following Haechan to the door. “Sorry, but, um… yeah, movie night is kinda bust,” he says with an apologetic look on his face.

Yuta gives Doyoung’s hand another squeeze. “Please consider talking about it, okay?”

“I vote for locking them in here until they do, while we go chill with the betas,” Jungwoo says to Yuta. “What do you think?”

Yuta snorts, but ends up agreeing. “Yeah, actually, maybe that’s just what they need.” He wraps an arm around Jungwoo as they head to the door, calling over his shoulder to Taeyong and Doyoung, “Don’t even think about leaving until you get your shit together!”

“Dude, what?” Taeyong calls back, but goes unanswered as the door shuts behind Yuta and Jungwoo with a decisive click.

“This is ridiculous,” Doyoung huffs, striding into the kitchen to fix himself a cup of tea. “This is so fucking stupid.”

Taeyong looks at the angry set of his shoulders and hates himself a little bit for it. “I’m sorry,” he apologizes. “I’m being petty, I know. I just… It _hurts_ , Doyoung. It hurts my feelings, okay?”

Doyoung sets his mug down on the counter with more force than necessary. “It’s just a claiming bite, Taeyong. Why does it matter so much?” he asks wearily.

“Because I don’t want to be with anyone else, and I…” Taeyong takes a deep breath, steps closer to Doyoung. “I don’t want you to be with anyone else either.”

“Then I won’t,” Doyoung immediately tells him. He says it so simply, as if it were an obvious solution.

It only serves to make Taeyong even more confused, even more upset. “So why don’t you want to exchange claiming bites? If neither of us are even fucking anyone else, then _why_? Why aren’t I good enough for you?”

“No, I…” Doyoung looks pained. “I just… I don’t deserve you.”

Taeyong clenches his hand into a fist. “What does that even mean?” he asks in frustration.

“I’m not—” Doyoung begins, then stops himself. His brow furrows in something that looks like self-loathing. “I’m not the perfect, loving omega that everyone thinks I am. I’m bitter. I get jealous.”

“If you’re jealous, then why can’t we claim each other?” asks Taeyong desperately. “Wouldn’t that solve that problem?”

Doyoung can’t meet his probing gaze. “It’s not just you that I get jealous over,” he admits in a low voice.

Taeyong feels his stomach drop. He wasn’t expecting that. “Oh.” He wishes Doyoung would look at him, wants to see the expression in his eyes. The idea that Doyoung has secretly been carrying a torch for someone else never even crossed his mind. He doesn’t know what it means. “Can I… can I ask who else you get jealous over?”

Doyoung bites his lip, then finally, he looks at Taeyong. His eyes are sad, sorry. “Jaehyun,” he whispers like it’s a sinful confession. “He… I…”

“Others too, or just Jaehyun?”

“Just him. I… We have a history,” Doyoung reveals, and Taeyong—oh, Taeyong’s mind goes back through half a decade’s worth of memories in a minute, suddenly seeing every interaction between Doyoung and Jaehyun in a new light.

 _When I helped Jaehyun with his heat last year, and Doyoung brought us food…_ he realizes. _Was that for me or for Jaehyun?_ Swallowing thickly, he asks, “Will you tell me about it?”

Doyoung looks taken aback and perplexed by his request. “Why would you want to hear about my sordid, messy past with someone else?” he asks, sounding angry at himself and still very much in pain over whatever it was that happened.

Taeyong reaches out to take Doyoung’s hand in his. Learning that Doyoung and Jaehyun have some complicated relationship going on behind the scenes surprises him, but it doesn’t make him care about Doyoung any less. He smooths his thumb over the omega’s knuckles and tells him sincerely, “I want to hear about it because it’s your story. I want to know about _you_.”

“Taeyongie…” Doyoung’s eyes fill with sudden tears, and Taeyong immediately pulls him into his arms.

 _Doyoung’s clearly been hurting a lot, and I never even noticed._ He’s mad at himself for failing to pick up on it. _How many times have I unknowingly caused him more pain with thoughtless words and careless actions?_

The story that spills from Doyoung’s lips is confusing and hard to follow. It begins much earlier than Taeyong was expecting—claiming bites exchanged between Doyoung and Jaehyun not long after they presented. Were they boyfriends? Taeyong isn’t sure. He thinks from the way Doyoung is explaining it that maybe Doyoung himself doesn’t even know for certain.

“And then he stopped responding to messages after a while, and well… that was it,” Doyoung finishes with a shuddering gasp, his face still wet with tears. “But I still have feelings for him. Isn’t that the saddest thing? Aren’t I so _pathetic_? It’s been years, and I still want him!”

Taeyong strokes a hand through Doyoung’s hair, presses a gentle kiss to his ear. It makes him sad to hear that Doyoung is still hurting over it, but there are a few details in the story that leave him puzzled. “Whose idea was it,” he asks, “to stop maintaining your claim when he debuted with 127?”

A pause, and then Doyoung admits, “Mine.”

A second pause. Taeyong pulls back to look at Doyoung. “You’d made it sound like he was the one who ended things,” he comments, brushing his thumb across Doyoung’s cheek.

“He… he’s the one who stopped talking to me!” sputters Doyoung. “And then he started with claiming with Yuta! He—”

“Doyoung, sweetie…” Taeyong can’t help the barest hint of amusement from seeping into his tone, because Doyoung has always been good at self-righteous indignation. “Did you just sort of assume that he would wait for you until you were reunited, even though you broke up with him?”

Doyoung’s face turns bright red. “I… that’s…” he flounders, embarrassed.

Resisting the urge to laugh, because he knows that Doyoung would take it badly if he did, Taeyong tucks a lock of loose hair behind Doyoung’s ear. He wants to kiss him, but isn’t sure if the moment is right. _This is about what Doyoung needs,_ Taeyong reminds himself. _Not about my wants._ He settles for wrapping him in another hug.

“Why are you so good to me?” Doyoung mumbles into the crook of Taeyong’s neck, his breath hot against the alpha’s scent gland. “I don’t deserve it.”

“You _do_.”

Doyoung scoffs, a disbelieving noise low in his throat, and hugs Taeyong tighter.A selfish part of Taeyong hopes that Doyoung will never let go. Except, things are more complicated now, aren’t they? The partnership he has with Doyoung isn’t exactly what he thought he was, is it?

Finally, Taeyong voices the fear that’s been niggling at the back of his mind since Doyoung first began talking: “Am I just a replacement Jaehyun to you?”

“No!” Doyoung vehemently denies. He steps back from Taeyong’s embrace to fix him with a meaningful stare, and Taeyong finds a fierce sincerity in his eyes. “No. I _never_ want you to feel like that. You are… so precious to me. The way I feel about you is different from how I feel about him. I’m not sure how to explain it.”

“I love you,” Taeyong blurts out. “You know that, right? I’m, like, madly in love with you.”

Doyoung smiles, a little watery still but touched. “I know. And I love you too,” he tells Taeyong. “I do. I just… I can’t give you my whole heart, and it wouldn’t be fair to you if we were claiming. You’d come to resent me for it, and I don’t want that. I don’t want you to hate me.”

“I could never hate you,” Taeyong assures him immediately.

At the same time, Doyoung finishes quietly, “I don’t want you to leave me.”

Taeyong’s heart breaks for the omega. _How could he think I would ever leave him?_ He still wants Doyoung, even if he’s not sure how to untangle the unexpected knot of Doyoung pining for Jaehyun. He can’t really blame Doyoung for that one. Jaehyun is stunning, endearingly goofy, and sweet with everyone in the pack. If it weren’t for Doyoung, Taeyong might be tempted to pursue the beta himself.

Thinking of Jaehyun, Taeyong remembers the strange funk that the younger man had seemed stuck in back when the pack first formed. He had never been able to figure it out before, but Taeyong realizes now that it must have been about Doyoung’s decision to let their claim go.

“You know, Jaehyun smelled so _sad_ all the time, when 127 first debuted,” he tells Doyoung hesitantly, feeling out his reaction.

Doyoung grits his teeth. “He got over it, didn’t he?” Bitterly, he adds, “With help from _Yuta_.”

Taeyong supposes Doyoung has a point there, but he can’t help but wonder, now that he’s aware of their history, if Jaehyun might still carry a torch for the omega.

He starts watching Jaehyun more closely after that.

* * *

It takes Taeyong a week and a half to determine how he feels about his newfound knowledge of Doyoung’s persistent love for Jaehyun and how he wants to proceed. He ends up going to Yuta for advice. Yuta is reading a manga in the room he shares with Mark when Taeyong bustles in with a fidgety sort of nervous energy, politely bullying Mark into giving them a moment alone before asking, “Can we have a candid conversation?”

“Uh-oh.” Yuta sets his manga aside with a wary smile, good humor in his voice. “I mean, sure. What’s up?”

Taeyong climbs onto the bed next to Yuta, cuddles up with him, and cuts straight to the chase. “Is it a bad idea to pursue a relationship with someone even if you know they aren’t fully over their ex?” he asks, watching Yuta’s face for any sign of concern or disdain.

Yuta snorts. “Is this about Doyoung?”

“Am I that obvious?”

“The rest of the pack has practically been taking bets on how long it will take the two of you to start claiming each other,” replies Yuta airily. “Let me guess. You asked, and he said no.”

Taeyong frowns. “How did you know?”

Pausing, Yuta picks a loose thread off of his hoodie sleeve. “We got kind of close after he helped me through my rut last year,” he explains sheepishly.

“Oh… _that_.” Taeyong can’t keep the petulance out of his voice. The memory of Yuta asking for Doyoung still leaves a bad taste in his mouth.

“Yeah, that.” Yuta nudges Taeyong, and it feels almost affectionate. “Hey, don’t be sour about it. You slept with Jaehyun only a few months later.”

“Fair enough,” admits Taeyong. Despite his lingering resentment over Doyoung going to Yuta, he had gone on to keep Jaehyun company through the beta’s heat and enjoyed every minute of it. “But, speaking of Jaehyun…”

Yuta hums. “Mmm, you’re wondering about him and Doyoung, aren’t you? That’s why you’re asking about exes, yeah?”

Taeyong runs a hand through his hair and sighs. “… yeah. Doyoung says that he loves me but that he can’t give me his whole heart, because of Jaehyun,” he explains. “Is it naive of me if I want to pursue him anyways? Am I just kidding myself if I think we could still work?”

Yuta pauses to think about it. “That depends…” he says slowly. “Because, like, if you’re going in with the secret hope of, _He’ll get over Jaehyun if I just put in enough time_ , I don’t know how well that will turn out. You might start to resent Doyoung for not moving on fast enough or something.”

“Is that why you stopped claiming with Jaehyun two years ago?” asks Taeyong curiously, and Yuta laughs.

“Jaehyunnie and I were just glorified friends with benefits and a bad case of denial on both our parts. We were never in love,” he says with surprising ease. “Let’s not compare our situations.”

The declaration surprises Taeyong. He can’t imagine getting that close to Jaehyun and not falling in love with him. When he had taken care of the younger man during his heat last year, Taeyong had found himself somewhat infatuated with him, driven by the desire to protect and attend to his every need. But this isn’t about his complicated feelings about Jaehyun. This is about Doyoung’s complicated feelings about Jaehyun, and his own uncomplicated feelings about Doyoung.

Yuta’s voice shakes him from thoughts by asking, “How would you feel if Doyoung never got over Jaehyun?”

“Huh?”

“Even if the two of you go on to claim each other,” asks Yuta, “even if he never acts on it, how would you feel if Doyoung always carried a torch for Jaehyun?”

Taeyong thinks about it. “Um… a little sad for Doyoung, I think,” he concludes, because how unfulfilling would it be to never such an enduring love returned, how gutting it must be. Doyoung doesn’t deserve that.

Yuta presses harder. “But would your feelings be hurt? Would you feel less loved by him? Would you feel like you didn’t measure up to the phantom of Jaehyun lingering in Doyoung’s heart?”

 _Does Doyoung loving Jaehyun detract from him loving me?_ Tucking his face into Yuta’s shoulder, Taeyong ponders the question. “Love isn’t a zero-sum game, I don’t think,” he settles on saying. “I’m… fond of others in the pack too, but I’m _choosing_ Doyoung. If he chooses me back, why should I begrudge him for holding affection for someone else as well?”

“Mmm, very enlightened of you to think so.” Yuta ruffles his hand through Taeyong’s hair.

Taeyong cherishes the touch. His friendship with Yuta has had a couple of rough patches—two alphas chafing against each other—but things have been better between them in recent months. He loves it, and snuggles even closer. “So what do you think I should do?” he asks, voice muffled by Yuta’s hoodie.

Yuta is silent for a moment, letting his fingers rub soothing circles into Taeyong’s scalp. Then he says, “I think you should tell Doyoung all of that, and let him make the choice. _If_ he chooses you back, you said, so the ball is in his court now, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Taeyong realizes. He doesn’t want Doyoung any less for what he’s learned, doesn’t love him any less for it. He should make sure Doyoung knows that. He sits up abruptly. “I should tell him right now.”

“You’re a good lead alpha.” Yuta sounds proud of him, almost, and it makes Taeyong feel all warm inside.

He hugs the other alpha tightly, letting their scents mingle together, and whispers a thank you, before heading off to find Doyoung. His heart feels lighter than it did before. _There was no reason for me to worry about Doyoung’s ongoing love for Jaehyun,_ he determines. _It’s just another part of who Doyoung is._

He finds Doyoung in the Dream dorm, baking cookies with Jeno, Chenle, and Jisung. Doyoung smiles when he sees him, and Taeyong melts a little bit on the inside. _Is this what being disgustingly in love feels like?_ he wonders. To the youngsters, he asks, “Is it okay if I borrow Doyoungie for a moment?”

“But the cookies aren’t in the oven yet!” Jisung immediately whines, jutting his lower lip out in a pout.

Doyoung laughs. “Chenle is just as capable in the kitchen as I am,” he chides gently. “The cookies will turn out _fine_ , even if I step away now.”

Jeno, ever responsible and ever Doyoung’s favorite, pulls Jisung into his arms to mollify the younger boy with cuddles. “We’ll even save some cookies for you when you get back,” he teases Doyoung.

“You’d better,” Doyoung teases back, already removing his apron. He washes his hands, then turns to Taeyong. “I’m all yours.”

It’s just a turn of phrase, Taeyong knows this, but the words still send a thrill down his spine anyways. He slips his hand into Doyoung’s to guide him into the hall. “Come back to my room,” he murmurs. “Haechan is out.”

Doyoung arches an eyebrow at him. “Oh, it’s _that_ kind of moment, is it?” he asks dryly. “You couldn’t wait until after the cookies were finished?”

“It’s not that. I just want some privacy for what I’m going to say,” corrects Taeyong, noticing the way Doyoung’s face pales, and he realizes that Doyoung is afraid that he’s going to reject him. _He thinks I don’t want him anymore._ Taeyong brings Doyoung’s hand to his lips to kiss it. “It’s nothing bad, I promise.”

“If you say so.” Doyoung doesn’t sound reassured.

_He’ll see soon enough._

In Taeyong’s room, they sit together on the alpha’s bed, Taeyong facing Doyoung. He takes Doyoung’s other hand into his. “I’ve been thinking about you said,” he begins.

Doyoung goes so still that Taeyong isn’t sure if he’s even breathing. Then he blinks rapidly, like he’s trying to hold back tears.

It breaks Taeyong’s heart, the way Doyoung is so ready for it to be worst of all possible outcomes. And Taeyong had planned out exactly what he was going to say, wanted to phrase it all pretty and promising, but in his haste to put Doyoung’s mind at ease, what comes out of his mouth is: “It doesn’t bother me.”

Doyoung jerks his hands out of Taeyong’s. “What do you mean?” he asks suspiciously.

“It doesn’t bother me that you have feelings for Jaehyun too.”

“You don’t mean that.”

Taeyong smiles, reaches for Doyoung’s hands again, and Doyoung lets him. “I mean it,” he says softly, running his thumb over Doyoung’s knuckles. “I love you for who you are, and if part of who you are is your love for Jaehyun, then I love that part of you too.”

“You… still want me?” asks Doyoung, sounding heartbroken and hopeful all at once. “Even though my love is split between you and Jaehyun?”

“I still want you,” Taeyong assures him. “I’d still like to claim with you, if you’ll have me.”

Doyoung doesn’t speak for a moment. Taeyong can practically see him turning the offer over in his mind, weighing the risk against the reward. Then he takes one of Taeyong’s hands and moves it to his chest, placing it over his heart. “I love you,” he says solemnly. “And I want to be yours.”

“Will you claim me?” asks Taeyong in a breathless whisper, feeling the way Doyoung’s heartbeat flutters beneath his palm.

A hesitant smile breaks across Doyoung’s face, as if it hasn’t fully sunk in yet for him that he is allowed to have this happiness. He takes Taeyong into his arms, pulls him close, and presses an ardent kiss to his lips. There are joyful tears in his eyes as he says, laughing a little, “Yes. Yes, I will. Taeyongie, let’s claim each other.”

* * *

He and Doyoung have been together, in some capacity, for about two years, but the claiming bites make everything feel new again. Taeyong, who has always been cuddly, clings even closer to Doyoung, holding his hand and sneaking kisses every opportunity he can. Now that Doyoung is his, how is he ever supposed to keep his hands off of him?

“Is this the honeymoon phase that I’ve heard Kun talking about?” teases Doyoung, and Taeyong just drops another kiss onto the tip of his nose.

He begins spending so much time in Doyoung and Jungwoo’s room that eventually the younger omega gets sick of it. “Do you want to just, like, switch rooms?” he asks, amused after accidentally walking in on Taeyong and Doyoung making out for the umpteenth time. “I could room with Haechannie.”

Taeyong glances at Doyoung. “Would you like that?” he asks bashfully.

The wide smile on Doyoung’s face is dazzling. He snuggles himself deeper into Taeyong’s arms. “Very much.”

So Taeyong swaps with Jungwoo, and it feels so natural to share a room with Doyoung. They had been roommates before, with Yuta for the first half of 2017, but it’s different this time around. It means something else now, and they both know it.

“We should push our beds together,” suggests Doyoung. “That way we’ll have more room for cuddling.”

“Sure,” Taeyong replies with a mischievous grin. “‘Cuddling’.”

Doyoung blushes and rolls his eyes. “Yes, and it’ll be more convenient for sex too,” he concedes.

Taeyong snickers, because he’s always enjoyed teasing Doyoung. Aside from moving into the same room and the newness of their scents underlining each other’s on their bodies, it’s almost funny how little has actually changed between them. They were already acting as each other’s partners for so long.

There is one noticeable difference that tugs on the periphery of Taeyong’s attention. Jaehyun hasn’t been coming around their dorm as much since he and Doyoung exchanged claiming bites, and it makes Taeyong feel guilty.

He likes Jaehyun. Maybe he should’t. Maybe he should be upset with the beta as a show of solidarity with Doyoung lingering heartache over him. But instead Taeyong finds himself missing Jaehyun and wishing that he’d spend more time in their dorm like he used to, only a few weeks ago. He knows that the reason for Jaehyun’s recent distance is because of his claim with Doyoung. What else could it be?

 _Love isn’t a zero-sum game,_ he reminds himself. So why does it feel like his joy is coming at the cost of Jaehyun’s?

At least Jaehyun’s individual friendships with him and Doyoung seem to be doing fine, even if he’s shying away from the two of them together. The younger man still cuddles up to Taeyong during car rides to and from various events and practices, which Taeyong loves. He lets his fingers curl into the hair at the nape of Jaehyun’s neck and wishes that he could make him happy.

In the breaks between rehearsals and recordings, he watches as Jaehyun brings snacks and other little offerings to Doyoung. He wonders if Doyoung even notices it. In any other context, Taeyong might interpret Jaehyun’s behavior as courtship. It’s reminiscent of the way an alpha traditionally proves to an omega that they’d be a good provider.

 _Then again, maybe it_ is _a kind of courtship,_ he muses as he sees Jaehyun give Doyoung a hug, brushing his cheek gently against the omega’s neck.

It takes Taeyong a moment to recognize the movement, but then it clicks: Jaehyun is scent-marking Doyoung. It’s innocuous enough. Pack members will scent each other in order to strengthen their bonds, but as Taeyong continues to keep an eye on Jaehyun, he notices the beta doing it with a frequency that falls outside the realm of usual.

Doyoung doesn’t even seem to realize it. He accepts every embrace from Jaehyun with a subdued smile, instinctively returning the scenting gesture, before turning to Taeyong, his eyes a muted bittersweet. But still, Jaehyun continues to touch his scent gland to Doyoung’s every chance he can get.

It’s… bold. Taeyong would be well within his rights to pick a fight with Jaehyun for encroaching on his claim. But Taeyong finds that he doesn’t want to. It doesn’t upset him when he witnesses Jaehyun scent-marking Doyoung and bringing him gifts. Rather, it warms his heart to see affection between the two of them.

The smallest seed of an idea begins to take root in Taeyong _’_ s mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since the fic tags spoil how the love triangle resolves… yep, jaedotae was always the big endgame ship for this series. Hopefully the various hints toward it throughout the preceding stories didn’t make this too surprising. I tried hard to find the balance between not making it too obvious but not having it come totally out of left field. Shoutout to grayoongi who guessed it based off the first chapter of “Your Scent On My Skin”! Did anyone else see this coming? Let me know in the comments :3
> 
> My favorite part of this chapter might be when Taeyong (rightfully!) calls Doyoung out for acting like Jaehyun abandoned him even though he was the one who called things off. I’m actually kind of surprised no one ever brought that up in the comments haha, but everyone was incredibly sympathetic to Doyoung. And Doyoung deserved the sympathy, but also lol.
> 
> Since this series was posted very non-chronologically, I put together a handy [chronology](https://sinchun.tumblr.com/pack-chronology) of the fics in this series for anyone interested.


	2. Doyoung, 2019-2020

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who commented on the first chapter! I struggled with writing this second chapter (in part because my computer broke so about half of this was written on mobile, so if you see more typos than usual, that’s why lol) and reading everyone's comments really helped to keep me motivated :)
> 
> Just a head’s up that there’s a sex scene with BDSM vibes, including one instance of face slapping. Limits and kinks aren’t discussed here, but the implication is that they’ve previously established boundaries and know what the other person is into. Consent is important, folks!

The first person Doyoung tells after he and Taeyong give each other claiming bites is Yuta. They’ve been each other’s confidants of sorts ever since Yuta confessed to Doyoung that he struggles with feelings of inferiority next to Taeyong and Doyoung in return told Yuta about his fear of commitment in the wake how his relationship with Jaehyun ended. Their friendship is an unexpected closeness, but it’s one that Doyoung treasures. So when Doyoung finally decides to risk his heart again by accepting Taeyong’s request to claim each other, of course he wants to tell Yuta about it.

After exchanging bites with Taeyong, Doyoung spends far too long cuddled up with and kissing the alpha in bed before he finally is able to pull himself away. “I love you,” he tells Taeyong with a bright smile. “I love you. I love you. I love you.”

“Who knew that you were such a softie?” teases Taeyong. His eyes are fond as he adds, “I love you too.” 

Doyoung pulls him close for one final kiss before bouncing out of the room. His heart feels lighter than it has in years. He had been so certain that his inability to kick Jaehyun out of his heart would be the downfall of his relationship with Taeyong, but older man accepts it.  _Taeyong takes the bad in me with the good, and loves me anyways,_ he thinks giddily. He never imagined he could have something so pure, so easy in his life.

He runs into Yuta in the dorm kitchen and can’t help himself from immediately blurting out, “Yuta-hyung, guess what!”

Yuta rolls his eyes. He opens his mouth, likely with some retort along the lines of,  _How am I supposed to guess?_ when he smells it. “Oh!” He steps closer, sniffing Doyoung to make sure he has it right. “You said yes to Taeyong.”

“I did.” Doyoung beams, proud of himself for finally finding the courage.

“Hey, congratulations,” Yuta tells him and pulls him in for a bone-crushing hug. “I’m really happy for you.”

_I’m happy for me too,_ thinks Doyoung. He hugs Yuta back, then steps away as Mark and Jungwoo enter the kitchen. Like Yuta, they can tell something is different from the way Doyoung’s scent now carries a touch of Taeyong.

Mark, who is only recently presented and still getting used to his more sensitive nose, observes, “You smell different, hyung.”

“Can you tell why?” prompts Jungwoo with a gleeful smile. He’s taken it upon himself to take Mark under his wing ever since he helped the young alpha through his first rut.

“Umm.” Mark shifts from foot to foot as he thinks about it. “You kind of smell like… Taeyong-hyung?”

Jungwoo claps his hands together in delight, Yuta ruffles Mark’s hair lovingly, and Doyoung, blushing and pleased, confirms, “He and I just gave each other claiming bites.”

“Yooo, for real?” asks Mark, face breaking out into an excited grin. “That’s great!”

“It’s about time!” Jungwoo chimes in with an affectionate pinch to Doyoung’s cheek.

_I never realized how invested in my love life the rest of the pack was,_ Doyoung thinks, embarrassed but gratified. Then he realizes,  _Oh, I’m going to have to tell Jaehyun, aren’t I?_

It’s not like he wanted to keep it a secret from Jaehyun—or even that he’d be able to—and telling him outright rather than just letting him find out for himself is definitely the kinder option, but Doyoung isn’t looking forward to having that conversation. Will the news of his and Taeyong’s claim derail the fragile friendship he and Jaehyun have finally managed to build back up? He’s afraid it might.

But Doyoung refuses to let his uncertainty surrounding Jaehyun ruin his joy over his new claim with Taeyong.  _Besides,_ he reasons with himself,  _I don’t even know for certain if Jaehyun still has feelings for me. That’s just Yuta’s theory. As long as I’m kind and don’t assume anything in the way I tell him, it should be fine._

Keys jangling in the door sound the return of Haechan to the dorm. With him, as if summoned by Doyoung’s thoughts, is Jaehyun, and Doyoung has half a second to decide if he wants to tell him about his claim in front of Yuta, Jungwoo, Mark, and Haechan. He doesn’t, nor does he want any of the others to tell Jaehyun about it, so he does the only thing he can think to do. 

“Oh, Jaehyun, great timing!” he says brightly, hoping that no one can hear the lie in his voice. “I have that jacket you were asking about.”

“The what?” asks Jaehyun, confused.

Doyoung beckons the beta to follow him down the hall to his room, repeating insistently, “The jacket.”

Jaehyun follows and once they are out of the common space and alone, says, “I don’t remember asking you about any jacket?”

“You didn’t,” admits Doyoung.

Jaehyun cocks his head to one side. “Then what’s going on?”

Doyoung is grateful that there’s enough distance between them that his scent can’t tell Jaehyun before he can. He chews nervously on his lip. “I didn’t want to tell you in front of the others, but um, Taeyong and I are claiming now.”

The silence that follows only lasts a few seconds but it feels like a lifetime. Then Jaehyun finally says, “Oh. Well.” He smiles faintly. “That’s… that’s great, hyung.”

“I thought you should hear it from me,” says Doyoung quietly. They’ve so rarely acknowledged their previous relationship, but Doyoung thinks that they probably should, if their friendship is ever to grow past the stage its currently at and into something close-knit again.

“Is that a dig at the way I didn’t tell you about Yuta?” asks Jaehyun with a wry smile.

Doyoung shakes his head. “It wasn’t meant to be,” he tells Jaehyun honestly, thinking about how weird it feels for them to finally be talking about it, even if only barely. 

“Well, thanks for letting me know, and uh, congratulations.” Stepping closer, Jaehyun pats Doyoung on the shoulder awkwardly. If he has thoughts on the mingling of Taeyong’s and Doyoung’s scents, he doesn’t say anything about it.

“Before you go…” Doyoung pulls a black leather jacket from his closet and hands it to Jaehyun with a rueful smile. “For my bullshit excuse of you asking to borrow a jacket of mine.”

Jaehyun accepts it with a soft laugh, his dimples flashing briefly on his face. “I’ll be sure to wear it well,” he tells Doyoung.

His teasing tone sends a rush of affection through Doyoung’s body. He smiles at Jaehyun, and it isn’t even forced. “I’m sure you will.”

After Jaehyun leaves, Doyoung sinks onto his bed with a unsatisfied sigh.  _It’s greedy of you to still want Jaehyun even though you have Taeyong,_ he berates himself.  _You don’t need Jaehyun in order to be happy. Be content with having a friendship again._

It becomes a mantra of his. It’s easier with Taeyong by his side, always supporting him, always loving him, always listening to him. Being able to talk to Taeyong about Jaehyun is a relief. Doyoung never thought it would be an option. Despite the alpha’s declaration that he loved every part of Doyoung, including the part of him that loved Jaehyun, Doyoung figured it would be for the best to bury that part of him and try to ignore. Why would Taeyong want to hear about that? But Taeyong doesn’t let him hide it. He coaxes more information out of Doyoung about his feelings for Jaehyun with soft words and softer looks.

“I can’t believe that I used to think that the two of you were just best friends back when we were trainees,” says Taeyong, laughing at himself. He and Doyoung are snuggled up together in their room, whispering to each other late at night before going to sleep.

“Well, we _were_ best friends,” Doyoung points out. “We just… were a little more than that too.”

Taeyong nuzzles his face into Doyoung’s neck. “I’m glad that you two of you seem to be recovering your friendship,” he murmurs, sounding drowsy. “I’ve noticed you being a little more touchy-feely with each other recently.”

_Have we?_ It’s not something Doyoung has noticed, but he takes Taeyong’s word for it. Carding his fingers through his partner’s hair, he thinks about lucky he is to have Taeyong in his life. “I love you so much,” he whispers, because he feels like he can never say it enough, and presses a tender kiss to Taeyong’s temple before letting sleep take him.

* * *

Before Doyoung’s heat comes, he makes a nest of blankets and clothing on his and Taeyong’s bed. Taeyong helps him build it, adding some clothing of his to the mix. He drapes a tee-shirt over Doyoung’s shoulders, then drops a soft kiss to the top of Doyoung’s head.

Doyoung lifts the shirt to look at it, something stirring in his memory. “Is this… Oh my god, Taeyongie, is this the shirt you gave me for my nest for my first heat with the pack?” he asks disbelievingly.

Taeyong grins. “The very same.”

Bringing the shirt to his nose, Doyoung basks in the comforting sensation of his lover’s scent. Then a thought occurs to him. “Did you like me back then?” he asks Taeyong. “I mean, were you already interested in me at that point?”

“Ah, maybe a little?” Taeyong blushes as he admits it. “I was probably flirting a little bit, and I was definitely a little disappointed when you didn’t ask me to help you with your heat.”

Doyoung leans over to kiss Taeyong’s pretty, pink cheeks. “You’re adorable,” he tells the alpha. “You know, I probably would’ve asked for you if I hadn’t been too busy being stubborn about wanting only Jaehyun.”

“Oh, did _you_ like me already at that point?” asks Taeyong teasingly.

“Maybe a little,” replies Doyoung with a smile, echoing Taeyong’s earlier answer. His interest in the alpha certainly began slowly slipping into his mind around that time, though it took him a couple of months to admit it to himself.

With every heat he’s had, it’s gotten more manageable, but when his cycle starts, he and Taeyong still hole themselves up in their room to take care of it, shutting out the rest of the world. Settled with Taeyong in his nest, Doyoung feels like he’s on cloud nine.

All he needs is to be fucked just the way Taeyong knows he likes it.

Doyoung climbs into Taeyong’s lap, already flushed, already needy. “Taeyongie,” he says, whiny and demanding. “I need you.”

“You have me, sweets,” murmurs Taeyong. He kisses Doyoung, nipping at his bottom lip, and slides a hand into his hair in order to tug sharply.

“Ah, please, alpha,” Doyoung whimpers. He loves it when Taeyong is soft with him. He loves it Taeyong is rough with him. “Tell me what to do.”

Taeyong runs his tongue along the shell of Doyoung’s ear. “Undress for me,” he orders in a heated whisper. “Then I want you to lie down with your legs spread.”

Doyoung does as he is told, eager to please, ready to be touched. Once he is naked, he lies back on the bed and spreads his legs. Taeyong is still fully dressed and the power difference sends a twinge of embarrassed arousal through Doyoung’s body. “Alpha, please,” he whines.

“What do you want, Doyoungie?” asks Taeyong, running his hand up Doyoung’s bare leg.

“Want you to touch me.” Doyoung can feel the slick dripping out of him, and he has to resist the urge to squirm, desperate for friction. “ _Please_.”

“You beg so prettily for me,” Taeyong says with a smug smile, then he kneels between Doyoung’s spread legs and kisses up his inner thigh until he reaches the omega’s hole, wet and warm.

Doyoung can’t help the high-pitched keening that escapes from his mouth as Taeyong tonguefucks him. “Ah! Unf, Taeyongie, fuck,” he babbles, because Taeyong is eating him out like he’s starving and Doyoung’s ass is a five-star meal.

Taeyong growls, pleased, and brings a hand up to wrap around Doyoung’s cock, brushing his thumb over the tip to spread pre-cum down the hard length. 

Doyoung practically cries at the sensation. It’s so good, but it’s not enough to satisfy the pangs of his heat. “Please, alpha, I need you to fuck me,” he begs. “Need your knot.”

Pulling away, Taeyong slides up Doyoung’s body to shove his fingers into Doyoung’s mouth. “Bad boy!” he snarls. “Be patient!”

Doyoung whines and sucks on Taeyong’s fingers. “Please,” he mumbles, voice muffled by the alpha’s hand. “I’ll be so good for you.”

“Will you?” asks Taeyong, voice dangerously sweet. “Will you be a good boy and do everything your alpha asks of you?”

“Yes,” Doyoung promises and laps his tongue pathetically against Taeyong’s thumb.

“Good,” coos Taeyong. He removes his fingers from Doyoung’s mouth and presses his lips to the juncture of Doyoung’s neck and shoulder. Biting and sucking, he works to make a dark purple bruise bloom on Doyoung’s pale skin.

_Yes,_ thinks Doyoung, deliriously pleased with this turn of events.  _Mark me up. Let everyone know that I’m yours._

As he starts on sucking a second hickey onto Doyoung’s neck, Taeyong lets one of his hands trail down his lover’s body, slipping between his legs and past his slick puckered rim to work him open with two fingers.

Doyoung grinds down against Taeyong’s hand, whimpering with need. “Fuck me, please. I’m ready.”

Taeyong slaps him across the face with his free hand. “I  _said_ to be patient!” he snaps. “Jesus, you’re so desperate.”

“Yes, yes, I _am_ ,” agrees Doyoung frantically. “I’m so desperate for you, Taeyongie. Please, I need you.” He grinds down again to underscore his point.

“So demanding,” Taeyong scoffs. He curls his fingers inside of Doyoung, grinning when it makes the omega gasp and arch his back off the bed. “Are you sure you deserve to be fucked?”

“Please, I need it!” cries Doyoung. He spreads his legs even wider, a silent request. 

Taeyong removes his fingers from Doyoung, rolling his eyes when Doyoung whines at the loss. “You’re so fucking needy,” he drawls and moves to underdress himself. “Don’t even  _think_ about touching yourself until I tell you.”

Doyoung whimpers. The wait is agonizing. But finally— _finally!_ —Taeyong shimmies out of his boxers and settles himself between Doyoung’s legs, a hand placed firmly on each of the omega’s hips. Doyoung sighs with relief when the alpha pushes into him.

“Oh, _thank_ you.” He lets his eyes flutter closed, enjoying the sensation of Taeyong’s cock deep inside of him. God, he feels so full. It’s perfect.

“Let me take good care of you,” Taeyong croons. “I’ve got you, sweets.” He sets a frantic, bruising pace, snapping his hips sharply and making Doyoung gasp with pleasure. 

“Ah! Can I touch myself?” asks Doyoung. “Please?”

Taeyong’s hand finds Doyoung’s throat and holds tight. “Don’t you want to see if you can come untouched?” he asks in a velvety tone.

Doyoung’s face grows even warmer. It’s only happened a few times, but it’s been insanely hot every time. “Yesss,” he hisses. “Oh, yes, _please_ .”

Taeyong tightens his grip, putting pressure on either side of Doyoung’s neck. His thrusts get faster, more precise. Between the sweet light-headedness of having his breathing partially cut off and the way Taeyong is hitting him just right inside of him, Doyoung can tell that his body is right on the brink. He just needs one final push. Taeyong gives it to him, leaning forward to sinks his teeth into Doyoung’s shoulder. 

Pain shoots through Doyoung’s body and then he’s coming, making a mess across his stomach as his body shudders. “Fuck, Taeyong!” he moans.

“Beautiful.” Taeyong releases Doyoung’s neck from his grasp to gather him into his arms, embracing him as he fucks him. Doyoung clenches around him, and Taeyong’s breath stutters. He warns, “I’m close.”

“Please, alpha, I need your knot,” Doyoung all but sobs.

Taeyong presses even deeper. He pushes his knot inside as it swells, filling Doyoung and locking them together as he peaks, his seed hot and sticky inside of Doyoung.

Doyoung lets his body go loose and limp in Taeyong’s arms. “Ah, ah, thank you,” he pants.

Taeyong holds him, stroking his hair softly. “You did so good for me, Doyoungie,” he murmurs and kisses his ear, his temple, his cheek. Stepping out of his role as a dominant alpha, he lavishes tender care upon his partner as they come down from the high of their orgasms. “I love you so much.”

Doyoung basks in the praise. “Thank you,” he whispers. “I love you too.”

His heat doesn’t last too long, and when it ends, Taeyong sends him off the shower with an affectionate swat to his behind. “Love you, you sweaty thing,” he teases.

“Right back atcha, babe,” replies Doyoung with a cheeky grin, grabbing his towel and scooting off to the bathroom.

When he returns from the shower, he discovers Jaehyun in his room, helping Taeyong to strip their bed of its sweaty sheets. Doyoung can’t help his eyebrows from raising in surprise. While it’s not uncommon for packmates to help each other clean up after the mess of cycles, the fact that it’s  _Jaehyun_ , the fact that it’s Jaehyun in a room that, despite the open window, still stinks of Doyoung and Taeyong’s copulation makes something in Doyoung’s chest leap.

“You don’t have to do that,” he says before he has the chance to think about it.

Jaehyun smiles, though he doesn’t look at Doyoung. “It’s no problem,” he demurs. “I’m happy to help.”

“You’re the best helper,” Taeyong tells him cheerfully. He bundles the dirty sheets into his arms and goes up on tiptoe to press a kiss to Jaehyun’s cheek. “Thanks, Jaehyunnie.”

Jaehyun blushes at the praise and follows Taeyong out of the room, leaving Doyoung to get dressed, alone and thoughtful. 

* * *

Taeyong wants to celebrate the new year with style. “I mean, it’s a whole new decade!” he says to Doyoung. “We gotta do something big.”

“Sure.” Doyoung indulges him, because when does he not indulge Taeyong? “What were you thinking?”

As it turns out, Taeyong was thinking a big party in their dorm for the whole pack, complete with confetti poppers, champagne, and of course, a lot of food. Johnny is immediately on board with the idea, and he ropes Ten and Jaehyun into helping with the party-planning.

The day before New Year’s Eve, Taeyong realizes that never bought any decorations and sends Doyoung and Jaehyun to store to buy some, because, “If we don’t celebrate with party hats and streamers and a kitschy 2020 banner, then what’s the point?”

“You are _such_ a child,” Doyoung tells him, exasperated but fond and already going to put his coat on.

“You’re the best, thanks!” blurts Taeyong, pressing a list of what they need to get into Jaehyun’s hand before dashing back to the kitchen to finish cooking dinner.

Jaehyun laughs, then Doyoung laughs, and they walk to the nearest party store. Jaehyun squints at Taeyong’s shopping list, beginning to read it aloud to Doyoung before rolling his eyes. “I’ll just take a picture and send it you,” he determines. “Then we can divide and conquer to get all the goods.”

They do exactly that. There’s nothing terribly fancy on the list, so it’s easy to find everything. Meeting back at the cash register, Doyoung pays, and they head back home with a brisk pace. The winter wind is stinging and cold. It makes Jaehyun’s teeth chatter and Doyoung’s nose run.

“Any resolutions for the new year?” asks Jaehyun.

Doyoung hums, thoughtful. “To be more honest and communicate better,” he decides, because, hey it worked out well with Taeyong.

“That’s a good one,” agrees Jaehyun with a small smile. “I might have to steal it.”

_Yeah, you’d probably benefit from it,_ Doyoung thinks waspishly but doesn’t say.

They walk together, silent but for the rustling of the shopping bags. Then—

“I love you,” says Jaehyun suddenly, and Doyoung feels the world stop.

“Don’t,” he says quietly. This is not what he had been planning on when he said he wanted to be honest and communicate better.

“I’ve always loved you,” Jaehyun continues, his voice turning frantic. “I never stopped.”

Doyoung balls his hands into fists around the shopping bag handles, stares at the ground. “Don’t say that unless you mean it,” he grits out.

“I mean it,” insists Jaehyun. He moves closer to Doyoung, but Doyoung takes a step back.

“Then _why_!” Doyoung doesn’t mean to shout, but the emotion explodes out of him. All of his confusion and anguish that he’s been bottling up for years come rushing back, relentless. “Why claim with Yuta? Why freeze me out? Why didn’t you tell me?”

The last question is, perhaps, the most important one of all, and it hangs in the air, before Jaehyun replies, “You didn’t tell me either.”

Doyoung scowls. “Don’t be childish,” he says with a sniff.

“But I _was_ ,” Jaehyun points out. “I _was_ a child. I was only nineteen when we debuted. Did I fumble things? Yes, of course, I did! Because I was young, and I didn’t know better!” He pauses, then adds bitterly, “ _You_ were the one who said it wouldn’t have made sense for us to continue claiming each other when 127 was formed.”

“Well, what do you want me to do now?” snaps Doyoung.

“Do you still love me?” asks Jaehyun.

Doyoung doesn’t hesitate to answer, “Yes. Yes, of course.”

Jaehyun smiles hopefully at him. “So, then…”

“But it’s not that simple,” Doyoung cuts across. “I have Taeyong now.”

Jaehyun makes a frustrated noise. “Yeah, in the same way I had Yuta back then,” he grumbles.

“No,” says Doyoung firmly. “Not like that at all. I’m not just passing time with Taeyong. I love him, too.”

Silence.

“Oh.” Jaehyun looks at the ground, then laughs self-deprecatingly. “I guess I should’ve known that. You’re not the type to put a claiming bite on someone unless you really mean it.” _Unlike me,_ goes unspoken, but he and Doyoung both can hear it anyways. He runs a hand through his hair and comments, “Taeyongie is easy to fall in love with, isn’t he?”

“Yes,” agrees Doyoung. He tries not to read into the statement. It had surprised him, a year and a half ago, when Jaehyun went into heat and asked for Taeyong, but maybe it shouldn’t have. Taeyong is undeniably attractive, and his friendship with Jaehyun has always been physically affectionate and sweet. “He really is the perfect partner.”

“He’s very caring,” says Jaehyun with a soft smile, “and beautiful, too.”

In a moment of vicious pettiness, Doyoung adds, “Plus, Taeyong has actually been nice to me this whole time.”

Jaehyun winces. “Ouch, I deserved that,” he concedes. After a moment, he adds, “I’ve been trying, you know? To be friends again.”

“I know,” says Doyoung, and he does. He and Jaehyun have been pushing and pulling at the concept of friendship with each other ever since he joined the pack. “I’ve been trying too.”

“We can still be friends, right? Even if we both still have feelings for each other but we’re not together, we can still have a friendship, yeah?” Jaehyun’s voice is nervous and hopeful.

“I would be offended if you didn’t want to be my friend anymore, just because we’re not romantically involved,” Doyoung teases because teasing is easy. It’s safe. It’s just friendship.

Jaehyun lets out a sigh of relief. “Hey, I’m sorry if I disrespected your claim with Taeyong,” he says quietly. “It was out of line of me to suggest that… that you should love me more than him or something. I won’t push you anymore about that.”

Doyoung accepts the apology with a hum. It’s true, he realizes, that he doesn’t love Jaehyun more than he loves Taeyong. But he doesn’t know if he loves Taeyong more than he loves Jaehyun either. It doesn’t feel like it’s about less or more. It’s just a little bit different. 

When they get back to the dorms, Jaehyun delivers the shopping bags to Taeyong, then dips, heading back to the apartment shared by the 127 betas. Taeyong looks sad to see him go. Doyoung knows that the tension between their claim and Jaehyun troubles the leader.

“If we missed something on your list, it’s Jaehyun’s fault and not mine,” jokes Doyoung, resolving to take Taeyong’s mind off it.

Unfortunately, he can’t take his own mind off it. The conversation with Jaehyun bothers him, maybe more than it should. _He just had to wait until I was claimed by Taeyong to tell me still loved me?_ he thinks furiously.  _Why couldn’t he tell me before?_

But that’s not fair, because if Jaehyun had told him earlier, Doyoung might not have accepted Taeyong’s claim, and Doyoung is glad that he did. He likes claiming with Taeyong. He doesn’t regret that choice one bit. 

He tells Taeyong about it, because he’s learned his lesson about communicating and not hiding things, and because Taeyong always seems invested in whatever is going down between him and Jaehyun. 

It’s after dinner, and he and Taeyong are doing the dishes, the only two in the kitchen. “Taeyong-ah,” begins Doyoung quietly. He sets the washed pan in the drying rack. “When we were buying the decorations for you, Jaehyun told me that he’s still in love with me.”

Taeyong pauses in stacking the dishwasher. “That’s… not surprising, is it?” he asks carefully, then goes back to settling cups in the upper rack.

It’s not the reaction Doyoung was expecting. “What?”

“I mean, I figured he still had feelings for you,” explains Taeyong. Done with the cups, he places a detergent pod in the dishwasher and starts its cycle, before turning to Doyoung with an easy smile. “Like, he brings you little gifts and scent-marks you constantly. It’s not exactly subtle.”

Doyoung feels like his brain is melting. “He… that’s…” he stammers.  _He does?_ Doyoung’s never noticed. “Um,” he says because he doesn’t know what else to say. “Um… and that doesn’t bother you?”

Taeyong shrugs. “Not really?” He slides his arms around Doyoung, kisses his nose. “Unless it bothers you. Then I wouldn’t like it.”

It didn’t even register with Doyoung, so it’s clearly a non-event to him. “Um. It doesn’t bother me,” he mumbles.

“Yo know… you could give him a claiming bite too,” suggests Taeyong. His voice is quiet, and Doyoung is sure he didn’t hear him correctly.

“Come again?”

Taeyong takes Doyoung’s hand into his, worrying his thumb across the knuckles. He smiles and says it again: “You could give him a claiming bite too. I don’t mind sharing you, not if it’s with Jaehyunnie.”

Doyoung freezes. “What do you mean?” he asks, feeling hollow, suddenly afraid that this is some trick, some underhanded way for Taeyong to get rid of him. Even if he knows rationally that Taeyong wouldnt, his old fear of abandonment is hard to shake off. 

“I, uh… I mean, it’s _Jaehyun_ ,” says Tayeong, as if that explains anything. “I’m fond of him too, you know?”

“Fond?” Doyoung repeats faintly. He still feels lost, unsure of what is happening.

Taeyong blushes and bites his lip. “Like, I might be tempted to give him a claiming bite too if he wanted me to,” he admits. “But that’s not my point. My point is that I’m confident enough in our claim that if you also wanted to claim him, you have my blessing.” When Doyoung doesn’t say anything, still too shocked to speak, he adds, “I think it would make both of you happy, and I just want the two of you to be happy.”

Finally, Doyoung regains the ability to form a coherent thought. “How long have you been thinking about this?” Because while the idea feels like it’s coming out of left field to him, he knows that Taeyong wouldn’t just flippantly suggest it without having put considerable thought into it.

“About a month now. Maybe two? I guess it first occurred to me when I noticed him scenting you and it made me pleased instead of upset,” explains Taeyong. He makes it sound so simple.

“You’re sure?” asks Doyoung. He’s scared to say yes, scared to seriously entertain the idea because what if Taeyong changes his mind? He doesn’t want to keep his hopes up for nothing. 

Taeyong cups his face and kisses him softly. “I’m so sure,” he says firmly. “I wouldn’t have brought it up if I weren’t. If Jaehyun doesn’t mind sharing you with me, then I don’t mind sharing you with him. It’d be an added bonus if he wanted me too, but I don’t need him to, for this arrangement to work out.”

Doyoung remembers how Jaehyun had asked for Taeyong when he went into heat during the 2018 promotion. He thinks of what Jaehyun had said about Taeyong earlier that day:  _He’s easy to fall in love with_ . A sudden thought occurs to him. “He might you want you too,” he tells Taeyong.

“Ah, it’s not a big deal if he doesn’t,” demurs Taeyong. He twirls a lock of Doyoung’s hair around his finger. “I don’t want to put that pressure on him. This is about you and him, if you want him.”

The sincerity in Taeyong’s voice makes Doyoung finally admit it. “I want him,” he whispers. 

Taeyong beams, kisses him again. “Then let’s ask him.”

“I can’t just _ask_ him!” sputters Doyoung. If he’s going to go out on this limb, he needs to make sure that Jaehyun will say yes. “I need to court him first.”

“Shall I court him too? I could bring him little offerings like he does for you,” teases Taeyong. Then his eyes widen. “Wait, _should_ I?”

Doyoung laughs, because Taeyong makes it so easy to find the humor in things. “We’ll figure it out together,” he decides and presses his forehead to Taeyong’s, feeling happy and hopeful and oh so full of love for his partner. “For now, let’s just focus on getting through tomorrow’s New Years party.”

* * *

Now that Taeyong has pointed it out to him, Doyoung isn’t sure how he’s managed to miss the frequency with which Jaehyun brings him food and comes up with excuses in order to scent-mark him.  _I’m a grade A idiot,_ Doyoung decides.

Then he decides to start reciprocating. 

He starts slowly, not wanting to overwhelm or confuse Jaehyun after his earlier declaration that he wouldn’t leave Taeyong for him. When he cooks dinner for the pack, he makes extra spicy pork just for Jaehyun. When 127 starts recording for their next comeback album, he stays late to practice vocal runs with the younger man.

Jaehyun takes it all in stride. “Thanks, hyung.” He starts smiling more, eyes bright and dimples out.

_Even if all this comes to naught, at least I’ll have recovered my friendship with him,_ thinks Doyoung with a good natured grin.  _No matter the outcome, it will have been worth it._

Taeyong joins in, with a subtle sort of courtship. During a break in their dance rehearsal, he nips out to the hallway vending machine and returns with three water bottles. The first he gives to Doyoung with a quick kiss on his sweaty forehead. The second he brings to Jaehyun. “Thirsty?”

Doyoung finds it fascinating to watch Taeyong court Jaehyun. He has experienced the alpha’s affections for himself, but he’s never witnessed from an outside perspective before.  _Is this what it looked like to the others back in 2017 when Taeyong was first trying to get my attention?_ he wonders. Taeyong’s friendship with Jaehyun has always been handsy, but he becomes even more cuddly, twisting to purposefully scent Jaehyun when they hug.

Doyoung is dying to scent-mark Jaehyun too but he’s worried that it would be too forward.

The problem solves itself on Doyoung’s birthday, when Taeyong throws him a party, and Jaehyun shows up wearing a leather jacket that looks very familiar. Doyoung had kind of forgotten that he’d foisted it off on Jaehyun as a part of his flimsy excuse to talk to him alone months earlier. Before he can overthink it, he laughs and calls out, “Hey, looking good!”

Jaehyun weaves through the rest of the pack to reach Doyoung’s side. “I told you I’d wear it well,” he reminds him with a bashful smile.

“So you did,” agrees Doyoung. “And so you are.”

Clad in the leather jacket, Jaehyun is already drenched in Doyoung’s scent, so Doyoung doesn’t feel shy about pulling him in for a hug and letting their scent-glands brush together.

“Happy birthday, Doyoungie,” Jaehyun murmurs, his breath hot against Doyoung’s neck.

Doyoung pulls back to pinch his cheek affectionately, swallowing down the sudden desire to kiss him.  _Not yet,_ he reminds himself.

The birthday party goes swimmingly, even if Doyoung thinks there’s a little more alcohol involved than was strictly necessary. He watches with dry amusement as Yuta challenges Mark, Winwin, Lucas, and Jeno to a drinking game, only to be the first one to lose with a dramatic cry.

Around midnight, the party begins winding down. Kun and Ten herd the rest of the WayV members back to their dorm. Jeno, Jaemin, and Renjun bundle Jisung and Chenle off to bed, but Taeil and Johnny stick around for one last game of beer pong.

_It’s nice,_ Doyoung muses, casting his eyes over the remnants of his birthday party with a fondness. It’s even nicer when Taeyong slides up behind and wraps his arms around him in a loose-limbed embrace. 

“You should ask Jaehyun tonight,” he suggests quietly, nodding towards where the beta is sitting on the couch with his phone out. “Look at him, all dolled up in your leather jacket. I think it’d be perfect, don’t you think?”

Doyoung looks at Jaehyun, realizes that Taeyong is right. There’s no reason to keep putting it off. Despite the antics of some of the rowdier members of the pack, neither he nor Taeyong nor Jaehyun drank enough to get anything more slightly buzzed, which has long since worn off. “Let’s go to the roof,” he murmurs to Taeyong.

Taeyong nods and straightens up. He takes Doyoung’s hand in his and pulls him towards the door. “We’re heading up to the roof for some fresh air,” he tells Jaehyun. “Do you want join?”

Jaehyun looks happy to be invited, but still he waves them away. “I wouldn’t want to third-wheel,” he says ruefully.

_That’s the whole point, Jaehyunnie,_ thinks Doyoung with an internal eye roll. Externally, he fixes Jaehyun with a pointed stare. “Come with us,” he says in a tone that brokers no room for argument. It used to work on Jaehyun back when they were trainees, and Doyoung could get him to do just about anything if he sounded bossy enough.

Evidently, it still works now, because Jaehyun obediently gets to his feet and follows Doyoung and Taeyong up to the rooftop garden atop their apartment building.

The night air is crisp, refreshing. Taeyong loops his arm around Jaehyun’s, and the beta’s eyes immediately slide to Doyoung. Doyoung smiles encouragingly at him.  _We want you here,_ he tries to silently convey to Jaehyun,  _with us._

Doyoung laces his fingers with Jaehyun’s, then finally begins to give the speech he’s been practicing for weeks. “Jaehyun-ah,” he starts, savoring the way the affectionate nickname feels on his tongue. “I know we talked about still being friends, but—”

Before he can get any further, Jaehyun wrenches away from Taeyong and him, clearly panicked. “Shit, fuck, have I overstepped?” he asks, eyes wide with a wild fear. “Do you want your jacket back? Do you want me to leave? I—”

“Not at all,” Doyoung is quick to say. He grabs Jaehyun’s arm before the younger man can run off. “Maybe _I’m_ about to overstep, but I was going to say that if you still wanted, we don’t have to be just friends.”

Jaehyun immediately looks at Taeyong. “What do you mean?” he asks, sounding guarded.

Taeyong gives him an encouraging smile, begins to say, “I know it’s unconventional, but—”

“Wait, you are propositioning me for a threesome?” asks Jaehyun, squinting his eyes suspiciously.

“I mean, if you wanted…” mumbles Taeyong, and Doyoung snorts.

“No.” He slides his hand down Jaehyun’s arm to take the younger man’s hand in his. He squeezes tight and explains, “I was asking if you wanted to exchange claiming bites with me again.”

Jaehyun sucks in a sharp breath. “What? But Taeyong…”

“In addition to my claim with Taeyong,” Doyoung clarifies. 

Taeyong smiles at Jaehyun, soft and sweet. “I don’t mind sharing Doyoungie with you.”

Jaehyun’s eyes fill with emotion. “You’re too kind,” he whispers. “I… I don’t deserve this.”

“You _do_ ,” Doyoung and Taeyong insist at the same time. Taeyong’s eyes are bright with merriment, and Doyoung knows that the older man is thinking about how similar he and Jaehyun are. Hadn’t Doyoung put himself down in the much the same way when Taeyong told him that he loved him anyways?

_We’ve always been two peas in a pod, haven’t we?_ thinks Doyoung with a wry smile. 

“And it really doesn’t bother you?” Jaehyun asks Taeyong, still uncertain, still hesitating.

“To be totally honest, I like you too,” confesses Taeyong with a faint blush. “But I’m not expecting anything from you. I don’t want you to feel obligated to me. As long as you and Doyoung are happy, then I’m happy.”

Doyoung nods. “We wouldn’t have brought it up with you if we both weren’t totally sure about this,” he assures Jaehyun. 

“You really mean it?” asks Jaehyun wondrously. His eyes are big with equal parts vulnerability and hope.

Doyoung knows exactly how he feels. He squeezes Jaehyun’s hand again. “Jaehyunnie, I promise that I’m not going to change my mind,” he says firmly. “I have loved you for so many years, and if you’ll have me, I want to love you for so many more.”

“I won’t change my mind either,” adds Taeyong. He cups Jaehyun’s face in his hands and presses a featherlight kiss to his forehead. “All I need from you is your smile.”

Jaehyun immediately smiles, as if he can’t help it. “Yes,” he whispers, then says it again, louder and more certain, “Yes.”

Taeyong taps his nose affectionately. “Yes,” he repeats. 

Doyoung echoes them both: “Yes.”

And Jaehyun laughs, emotional but free. Happy.

Smiling, Doyoung opens his arms and Jaehyun steps into them. Doyoung kisses him on the cheek, right on top of his dimple, then after a moment, he tilts his face forward to press his lips to Jaehyun’s for the first time in four years.

It feels like coming home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! It continues to develop! For a breakdown on the hints to the jaedotae resolution, check out the [commentary](https://sinchun.tumblr.com/commentary-msatb). As mentioned above, my computer broke, so it's going to take me a little longer than usual the get the next/final chapter posted. There's still a lot left to write, and writing on mobile isn't ideal.
> 
> Side note: I can’t believe the only other dotae smut I’ve written for this series was hidden inside the nomin presentation fic [Sex Education (Or Something Like It)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28564419)?
> 
> Speaking of dotae, I have a little ficlet about them [Once Upon a Time — Or Maybe Twice](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28758210) unrelated to this series :)


	3. Jaehyun, 2020

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this chapter took me so much longer to write than I thought it would, even taking into account the whole writing it entirely on mobile thing. Thanks for your patience, everyone! The last time I wrote Jaehyun’s POV was for Your Scent On My Skin, which I ended up rereading a lot while I was writing this chapter to try to keep the continuity between the two as smooth as possible. You might even find a few subtle specific callbacks ;)

Falling back into a partnership with Doyoung is surprisingly straightforward. Even after all these years, they still know each other. They will never not know each other, Jaehyun thinks, watching with fondness the way Doyoung’s eyes light up whenever he sees him.

Still, it takes work to recover the trust lost between years of silence and miscommunication. Jaehyun is determined to do right by Doyoung this time around. He approaches their new relationship with caution. He doesn’t want to push too hard, but he doesn’t want to run away either. Nor does he want to give Doyoung—or Taeyong—any reason to regret their decision to invite him into their relationship.

Navigating his claim with Doyoung alongside Doyoung’s claim with Taeyong is... something new. Doyoung is very attentive, quick to express his affections in a way that makes Jaehyun feel so loved. It’s clear that he wants to make sure neither Jaehyun nor Taeyong feel neglected by him, splitting his time carefully between them. But it’s intentional, an effort he works at, rather than something that comes naturally.

Sharing casual sex partners is the norm for the pack, and Jeno and Jaemin have an open relationship of sorts, but what Jaehyun, Doyoung, and Taeyong are building is different. They aren’t open, but they aren’t a triad either. Despite the interest Taeyong has expressed in him, Jaehyun isn’t sure if that’s something he’s ready for just yet. For now, he and Taeyong are merely good friends who happen to share a partner.

And it works. It’s strange at first, but they’re making it work.

Jaehyun knows that the rest of the pack doesn’t really understand the dynamic, but no one comments on it. At least, not to Jaehyun’s face. For all he knows, maybe it’s all anyone talks about behind his back. He lets himself imagine it for a moment, what rumors they might whisper about him. Doyoung and Taeyong share a room. They were already established as a couple when he and Doyoung got back together. Maybe everyone else secretly thinks of him as a home-wrecker.

_I suppose I couldn’t really blame them if they saw me that way,_ he muses. He tries to ignore the idea, but it eats away at him, until he one day he cracks and straight up asks Mark about it: “What does the rest of the pack think about me claiming with Doyoung?”

Mark’s face immediately scrunches up.

“Oh, so it’s _bad_ ,” says Jaehyun with a hollow laugh.

“It’s not bad!” Mark is quick to say. “It’s just confusing? I mean, I think we all just got so used to Taeyong and Doyoung as a unit. So you were a little surprising. I knew you were close with them both, but I didn’t realize the nature of it.”

Jaehyun hums. “It  _is_ unusual,” he agrees. “It’s something I never would’ve thought of until, well, until now.”

Mark leans forward, interested. “How did it happen?” he asks. It’s clear that he—and likely others—have been dying of curiosity over how it came to be that Jaehyun and Doyoung rekindled their old relationship, that many of them didn’t even know about, against all odds.

Jaehyun smiles. It might be nice to finally talk about it. He’s been hesitant to discuss his new old relationship with anyone, even Yuta who has always been there for him in one way or the other, for fear that people secretly disapproved of it. But Mark isn’t judgmental at all. Why was Jaehyun worried? “It was Taeyong’s idea,” he explains bashfully, voice soft as he thinks about it.

“Yo, really?” Mark’s eyes are wide. He cocks his head to one side, thinking. “Then why aren’t you and he...”

“Ah, well, that’s... Maybe in the future,” Jaehyun settles on saying.

Taeyong has never put any pressure on him to be anything more than mutual partners of Doyoung’s, but Jaehyun doesn’t want to rule out the possibility. He has a lot of affection for the lead alpha, and some level of sexual attraction simmering beneath the surface. But Jaehyun’s emotional capacity is currently maxed out by figuring out his relationship with Doyoung. So his relationship with Taeyong is something to be dealt with in the future.

“Since you both have claims with Doyoung... does it ever bother you to smell Taeyong’s scent on him, when you’re... you know?” asks Mark, a bit awkwardly.

“I actually kinda like the way Taeyong smells,” Jaehyun admits. It’s true. He’s always enjoyed the scent of the older man, found it comforting in many ways. Maybe if he were an alpha, he’d be bothered by it, more possessive over Doyoung, but Taeyong doesn’t seem to mind his scent either, so Jaehyun isn’t sure.

Mark wrinkles his nose. “I dunno if I needed to know that.”

Jaehyun chuckles, even as he denies, “I didn’t mean it like  _that_ .”

Except, maybe he does? The idea is on his mind the next time he’s with Doyoung. The two of them are snuggled up together on Jaehyun’s bed, and when Doyoung presses closer to kiss him, Jaehyun finds himself focusing on the hints of Taeyong’s scent that he can smell lingering on his lover’s body.

He thinks about that one heat he spent with Taeyong, how tender and attentive the alpha had been with him. At the time, Jaehyun had fixated on the way that Taeyong smelled like Doyoung. Now, he thinks about how Doyoung smells like Taeyong.

Doyoung trails his hands down Jaehyun’s chest, his fingers skimming over his skin, tantalizing lower and lower, until Jaehyun flips them over, pinning Doyoung to the bed as he kisses him hungrily. “It’s.” He nips at his lower lip. “Not.” He moves lower to press his mouth to Doyoung’s jaw. “Nice.” He bites and sucks. “To.” He brings one up to tangle in Doyoung’s hair. “Tease.”

“Aw, but you like it, though.” Doyoung’s voice is breathless, pleased.

“You just like riling me up,” Jaehyun accuses without any real ire.

Doyoung blinks coquettishly at him. “What if I promise to follow through on my teasing?” he asks, sounding both innocent and seductive at once.

Jaehyun groans. “Are you sure?”

They’ve been taking things slow as they figure out their rekindled romance. Aside from some very heated make out sessions and the occasional wandering hand, they’re still holding off on physical intimacy. Doyoung has been spending his heats with Taeyong, and it’s killing Jaehyun. Not because he’s jealous. He just misses having that with Doyoung. Four years is a long time to want someone. 

“I think...” Doyoung tilts his head to one side, his tongue peaking out from between his lips. It’s enticing. Jaehyun tries not to stare. “I think we’ve been patient enough, don’t you?”

“We’ve been very patient,” agrees Jaehyun.

“And I think things have been going quite well,” Doyoung continues. “I’m ready if you are.”

Jaehyun leans down to kiss him eagerly. “I’m so ready.”

Doyoung’s lips are soft and pliant, parting easily for Jaehyun to lick inside. “It’s been agonizing, holding myself back,” he says against Jaehyun’s mouth. “I’ve wanted you so badly.”

“I’ve wanted you too,” Jaehyun replies, and lets his hands slide down Doyoung’s body, savoring every touch before dipping his fingers past Doyoung’s waistband. 

“Jaehyunnie,” Doyoung whines, already lifting his hips, already asking for more.

“I know, darling, I know,” murmurs Jaehyun. He moves lower with his hand, until his fingers brush against hardness. 

Doyoung whimpers, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. Jaehyun kisses him until he releases his bite, and once he does, Jaehyun begins to stroke his length with lazy, unhurried movements.

“Is this what you wanted, Doyoungie?” he asks quietly.

“Yes,” sighs Doyoung. He jerks his hips up to fuck into Jaehyun’s curled hand, even as he reaches for the button of Jaehyun’s pants. “Want to touch you too.”

Jaehyun shifts, allowing Doyoung easier access. They shed their clothing and let their hands explore, relearning each other’s bodies. When Jaehyun trails his fingers down Doyoung’s spine, past the curve of his ass, he finds the omega already wet with slick. He rubs his finger around Doyoung’s rim, asks, “Can I?”

“Please.” Doyoung’s voice is breathy, gasping when Jaehyun sinks in with his finger. He squirms forward to press his mouth to the shell of Jaehyun’s ear. “I missed having you inside of me,” he whispers, his breath hot against Jaehyun’s skin.

Jaehyun growls, unable to help himself, because Doyoung has always known how to drive him wild with words. “I’ll be inside you soon,” he promises in a low voice and slips a second finger in.

Doyoung rolls his hips impatiently. “I’m stretched enough,” he whines after a moment. “You know I like it when it stings a little.”

Jaehyun’s cheeks heat in a blush. There is something strangely stirring about the knowledge that Doyoung’s sexual tastes haven’t changed since the first time they claimed each other. And after all these years, Jaehyun still aims to please Doyoung, always, so he murmurs, “I know,” and kissing the juncture of Doyoung’s neck and shoulder, replaces his fingers inside him with his cock.

“You still feel so perfect inside of me,” groans Doyoung. He wraps his arms around Jaehyun, holding him close as they fuck.

With his nose pressed against Doyoung’s neck, close to his scent gland, Jaehyun is treated to the combined scents of Doyoung and Taeyong together. It makes his mouth water. It makes him think about when he slept with Taeyong, how good the alpha had made him feel. Jaehyun wonders what it would feel like to have Taeyong fuck him while he fucks Doyoung, and oh—that’s an appealing image, isn’t it?

He imagines Taeyong’s soft voice praising him,  _Good boy. Jaehyunnie, you’re doing so good for me,_ and thrusts into Doyoung with a renewed vigor.

Doyoung moans brokenly, his fingers digging into Jaehyun’s shoulders as he comes apart underneath him. “Oh,  _yes_ , Jaehyun, there!”

“You’re perfect,” Jaehyun tells Doyoung. “So perfect for me.”

Doyoung kisses him, messy and open-mouthed. “Ah! I love you,” he whimpers as Jaehyun continues to slam into him. “Love you, love you, love you.”

Jaehyun reaches down to jerk him off to climax, his own orgasm near. “Love you too,” he gasps, then peaks.

Afterwards, Doyoung tucks himself under Jaehyun’s arm and rubs gentle circles on his bare chest. “I love being intimate with you,” he says softly. “You make me feel cared for.”

“I’m glad.” Jaehyun kisses the top of Doyoung’s head. “You make me feel cared for too.”

He wonders if he should tell Doyoung what he’s thinking about Taeyong, because he’s decided to adhere strongly to his new honesty is the best policy philosophy when it comes to their relationship, before deciding that there’s no point in mentioning it until he figures out what exactly he wants to do there. He knows that Doyoung is bound to have thoughts on what he thinks Jaehyun should do, and while Jaehyun values his opinion, he’d rather be sure of his own feelings on the matter before getting Doyoung’s input.

Doyoung starts spending more time in the beta dorm, occasionally sleeping over. His presence in Jaehyun’s bed in new and familiar all at once. And when Jaehyun wakes up in the morning to the sight of Doyoung’s sleepy smile, he feels warm inside.  _Being in love is such a beautiful feeling,_ he decides. Maybe it’s sappy, but he doesn’t really care.

If Johnny has thoughts about the nights Doyoung spends with Jaehyun, he doesn’t say anything about it, merely requests that they don’t get frisky while he’s in the room.

“Please,” says Doyoung dryly. “What kind of degenerate do you take me for?”

Johnny smirks. “Well, you  _are_ currently hotwifing it up right now,” he teases, and Jaehyun feels his whole body go cold.

_Ah,_ he thinks faintly,  _so I_ am _still seen as the interloper into Doyoung and Taeyong’s relationship._

“Excuse me?” Doyoung’s voice is beyond icy. He looks ready to tear Johnny a new one.

Johnny’s grin falters, realizing that he has misstepped. “Fuck, sorry, I was just joking. I didn’t realize it was a, uh, sensitive subject.” He sounds sincere.

Jaehyun tries to let the tension go out of his shoulders.  _Johnny is one of your best friends. He would never purposefully make a serious dig at you like that,_ he reminds himself. Still, he feels upset, and his scent reflects it with the way it’s gone sour.

“It wasn’t very funny,” says Doyoung flatly. He curls around Jaehyun, comforting him with soft kisses pressed to the side of his neck. His omega biology is immediately soothing, and Jaehyun finally feels his body relax.

“I’m really sorry,” Johnny says again, looking chagrined. “Seriously, I was just trying to joke about Doyoung being hot. I didn’t mean it like that.”

Jaehyun wraps an arm around Doyoung, pulls him closer. “I know you didn’t,” he tells Johnny. “Just... be a little more thoughtful in the future, yeah?”

“Shit, yeah, I will be,” Johnny promises.

Doyoung is still glaring at him, as if to say,  _You’d better be,_ so Jaehyun kisses his temple and murmurs, “It’s okay, Doyoungie.”

Johnny ducks out the room with a third apology, leaving the two of them alone.

“I’m _not_ hotwifing,” says Doyoung unhappily. “That would imply that I think of Taeyong as my primary partner and you just as a secondary, but that’s not true at all. You know that, right, Jaehyun? You know that I love you just as much as I love Taeyong.”

“I know.” Jaehyun strokes his hand through Doyoung’s hair. “You make me very loved, every day.” He tilts Doyoung’s face up to kiss him softly. “Even when you’re with Taeyong, I know that you love me.”

Doyoung smiles, but his brow stays creased with worry. “I just wish that everyone else knew it too. My claim with you is no less than my claim with Taeyong,” he says firmly.

“We’ll just have to prove it to them by being extra lovey,” teases Jaehyun, and finally Doyoung laughs.

He presses a grateful kiss to Jaehyun’s cheek. “You’re right. We’ll just have to prove it.”

* * *

Jaehyun wasn’t lying when he said that Doyoung makes him feel loved, that he is always sure of their relationship even when Doyoung is spending time with Taeyong instead of him. It had taken him a while to make that adjustment—in his idealistic daydreams, it had always just been him and Doyoung, but this reality that includes Taeyong makes him happy too—and sometimes, when he sees Doyoung’s hand tucked into Taeyong’s, he feels a pang of longing, but he doesn’t begrudge Doyoung and Taeyong for being together.

Especially because Taeyong is so sweet to Jaehyun too. 

Well, Taeyong is sweet to everyone. It’d be impossible for anyone to dislike him, Jaehyun thinks. He’s the most caring, attentive lead alpha their pack could ever ask for. He acts a rock for everyone in 127 through the promotion period for their album, making sure that everyone is taking care of themselves as they head almost immediately into preparations for the following repackaged version.

It’s exhausting, but when is it not exhausting? Jaehyun is beyond grateful for the support system that the pack provides, all of the little ways they look after each other going into rehearsals and recording for their next single.

Jaehyun is slated to record after Doyoung. He drinks water and goes over his lines as he waits outside the booth for his turn. About five minutes before Doyoung is set to finish, Taeyong, who recorded his part earlier in the day, shows up with a carrier of hot drinks and a bag of takeout for Doyoung. 

“You’re next, right?” he asks, flashing Jaehyun a bright grin as he takes a seat next to him on the couch.

“Yeah, the last one of the day,” Jaehyun confirms.

Taeyong squeezes his shoulder encouragingly. “I know you’ll do a great job.”

Glowing at his praise, Jaehyun leans into his touch and lets his eyes fluttered closed until Doyoung emerges from the booth, and the sound engineer is calling Jaehyun in to record. “I’ll see you back at the dorms,” Jaehyun tells Taeyong and Doyoung. He grabs his water bottle and steps into the now vacant recording booth.

“Punch” is an interesting song. Lots of heavy breathing with a sharp contrast between the rapped verses and the high, flowing choruses. Jaehyun likes it and is curious to see what sort of look the stylists will come up with for them for the promotion period. _Definitely something sexy, rather than cute,_ he predicts.

When he steps out of the recording booth, Jaehyun is surprised to see that Taeyong and Doyoung are both still there. The takeout boxes have been half eaten, and as Jaehyun approaches them, Taeyong begins gathering them back up into the plastic bag he brought them in.

“Ready to go, Jaehyun-ah?” asks Doyoung, smiling.

“Uh, yeah,” Jaehyun replies slowly. He’s confused, because didn’t Taeyong come to bring Doyoung back to the dorm after he finished recording? Why are they still here?

“Great!” Taeyong hands him a paper cup full of tea from the drink carrier, and Jaehyun suddenly understands, _He didn’t come just for Doyoung, but for me too._

It warms his heart. Smiling, he accepts the tea with a quiet, “Thanks, hyung.”

Taeyong beams at him, ruffles his hair affectionately, and slips his hand into Doyoung’s as they head for the door. Doyoung’s other hand reaches for Jaehyun, and that’s how they make their way home. 

When they get to their apartment building, Jaehyun moves to split off to go to his dorm, but Doyoung doesn’t let go of his hand. “Come have dinner with us,” he says, the barest hint of a pout in his tone. “Taeyong got food.”

“Okay, sure.” Jaehyun lets himself be pulled along to their dorm instead. 

The common space is empty when they arrive, and Taeyong immediately sets about pulling the takeout boxes back out the bag. The mood is light and easy as they eat. Jaehyun is pleasantly surprised to discover that he doesn’t feel like a third wheel, even though in his absence, he’s sure this would qualify as something of a date night for the other two.

But Jaehyun feels totally comfortable with them. When Taeyong holds out some food on his chopsticks, Jaehyun immediately opens his mouth to be fed without even thinking about it. The food is delicious, and still warm, on his tongue, and it feels domestic in a way that makes Jaehyun’s heart flutter with something almost like hope.

“Aw, Taeyongie, are you gonna feed me too, or just Jaehyunnie?” asks Doyoung with an affected pout. “I’m hungry too, you know.”

Taeyong laughs, then Jaehyun laughs, then Taeyong picks up another piece of food to offer to Doyoung. “Aw, sweets, were you feeling left out?” Taeyong smirks as Doyoung takes the bite.

Doyoung chews, swallows, sticks his tongue out playfully. “So what if I was?” he teases. “Don’t I deserve to be spoiled?”

“Mmm, I suppose,” Taeyong teases back. He goes on to feed Doyoung a second bite anyways.

Jaehyun laughs. He likes this with them, banter underscored with real love and affectionate. It feels like home. 

The thought gives Jaehyun pause.

Home isn’t just him and Doyoung. Home is him and Doyoung and Taeyong. Taeyong with his kindness and his generosity and all of his love.

_Taeyong has never asked more of me than understanding, respect, and friendship, but he is_ giving _more to me,_ realizes Jaehyun. And for all of Doyoung’s assurances that he isn’t obligated to return any of Taeyong’s affections, Jaehyun feels like he should.

He is tired of taking. He adores Taeyong and is certainly attracted to him. It shouldn’t be much of a stretch to turn that into something more, something romantic, right?

He’s finally ready to talk about it with Doyoung, he thinks.

* * *

It’s a free day, and Doyoung is with the dreamies. He’s always loved treating the younger members, so it isn’t hard for Jaehyun to find him in the living room of the Dream dorm, watching some asinine cartoon. 

Doyoung greets him with bright smile. “Hey, hon, wanna watch?” he asks. Jisung is perched in his lap, but there is an open spot next to them on the couch.

Jaehyun shakes his head. “Tempting,” he admits, “but I wanted to talk to you about something, actually.” To the dreamies, he asks, “Mind if I steal him?”

Jaemin whines, and Jeno pouts, but Doyoung just shifts Jisung from his lap, depositing the pup into Chenle’s lap as he goes to follow Jaehyun back to his room in the beta dorm.

“What’s eating you?” he asks, tone light and curious.

“So, uh, you know how Taeyong said that he liked me too?” begins Jaehyun nervously.

Doyoung laughs. “I’m familiar, yeah.”

“Does he... still like me?”

Doyoung immediately frowns. “Oh, Jaehyun-ah,” he says sympathetically. “You know there’s no pressure for you to reciprocate that. He doesn’t resent you at all.”

Blushing, Jaehyun clarifies, “I actually, uh, am thinking I would like to reciprocate?”

“ _Thinking_ you would?” echoes Doyoung, arching an eyebrow.

“Well, you know, if the offer is still on the table.” Jaehyun can feel his blush spreading to his ears. “Maybe we could make this V into a real triangle?”

Doyoung lets out a loud guffaw. “You’re so cheesy!” 

Jaehyun laughs too. “Okay, but do you think Taeyong would like that?” he asks, before a new thought occurs to him. “Would  _you_ like that?”

“Oh, Jaehyun, of _course_ I would love that,” Doyoung tells him. He takes Jaehyun’s hands in his and squeezes tightly. “And I’m sure it would make Taeyong very happy too.”

“So you think I should ask him?” asks Jaehyun eagerly.

Doyoung tilts his head to one side. “What exactly would you be asking him?”

Jaehyun pauses. It’s possible that he hadn’t exactly thought this out beyond the general desire of  _I also want to be Taeyong’s._ “If we could exchange claiming bites too,” he realizes aloud. “That’s what I want with him.”

“I think you should ask him,” says Doyoung softly. His eyes are brimming with affection and something that looks almost like pride.

Jaehyun brings Doyoung’s hand to his mouth to kiss his wrist tenderly. “I’ll ask him tomorrow.”

“Do you want me there?” asks Doyoung.

Jaehyun thinks about it. “No,” he decides. “I think I want it to just be him and me when I talk to him.”

The next day, Jaehyun fusses over his appearance. He knows that he doesn’t have anything to prove to Taeyong, but he still wants to look nice. He styles his hair and chooses his clothing carefully, then spends the day humming with energy—nervous and excited.

Doyoung smiles knowingly at him, then mouths,  _I love you. You got this,_ to him across the room.

Taeyong has always been prone to spending extra time at the dance studio, pushing himself to be the best that he can be. So when Jaehyun can’t find the leader anywhere throughout the pack’s four dorms, he figures he knows where Taeyong is. He checks his appearance in the mirror once last time, making sure he looks just right, then drops a goodbye kiss on the top of Doyoung’s head before going to the dance studio.

Sure enough, he finds Taeyong in the studio, perfecting the little dance section he does with Mark in the middle of the song. He grins when he sees Jaehyun enter. “Oh, Jaehyun-ah, what brings you here?”

“Hyung, will you help with me with our early point part?” Jaehyun asks in his sweetest, most innocent tone. “I just can’t seem to get my chest isolations right.”

Taeyong is nothing if not caring and mentoring to the rest of the group. He bounds over with a bright smile. “Of course.”

Jaehyun goes through the moves under Taeyong’s watchful gaze. In truth, he doesn’t feel particularly shaky with his chest isolations, though he recognizes that he’ll never be as fluid with it as Taeyong. His real goal is get the leader to correct him by putting his hands on him. Call it underhanded, but Jaehyun has always fallen into the trap of relying too heavily on his good looks in the face of nervousness.

“Ah, I think I see,” says Taeyong. He steps forward and puts his hands on either side of Jaehyun’s rib cage to change his movements. 

_Bingo._

Jaehyun rolls his chest from side to side, letting his body ripple underneath Taeyong’s touch, and is rewarded by Taeyong’s breath hitching ever so slightly. He might not have noticed, if it weren’t exactly what he was looking for. Reassured that Taeyong is still attracted to him, he brings his own hands to the other man’s side, mimicking the hold Taeyong has on him.

“Can I feel you do it?” he asks quietly.

Taeyong makes a low noise of agreement—they are standing so close together—and swivels his chest. Maintaining eye contact with him, Jaehyun tracks the movement with his hands.

“Beautiful,” he murmurs, without really meaning to.

Taeyong’s cheek flush pink at the compliment. “Jaehyun...” he begins, voice breathless with an emotion that it takes Jaehyun a moment to place.

_It’s desire, and hope,_ Jaehyun realizes.  _Oh, I’m being a tease, aren’t I?_ he realizes a moment later. So he moves his hands up to cup Taeyong’s face instead and leans in to kiss him before he can chicken out. Taeyong’s lips are soft and warm—everything Jaehyun imagined and more.

Taeyong’s eyes are wide when Jaehyun pulls back after the kiss. “Oh,” he breathes.

“Was that okay?” asks Jaehyun shyly. He can feel his ears going pink.

“Yes, god, yes, that’s so okay,” Taeyong assures him. “More than okay.”

Jaehyun grins. He runs his fingers through Taeyong’s hair and thinks about how much he wants to keep touching the older man. “I was thinking,” he says, “if you still wanted, maybe we could give each other claiming bites too?”

Taeyong’s splits in a wide smile. “You really mean it?” he asks, voice full of hope. “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.” Jaehyun kisses him again, savoring the feeling of his lips on his. “I want you, me, and Doyoungie to be a real triad.”

“I want that too,” whispers Taeyong fervently.

Jaehyun nuzzles against Taeyong’s neck. The alpha’s scent is intoxicating. Jaehyun wants to sink his teeth in right then and there, wants to make him his immediately, but he knows that the moment isn’t right.  _It should be more special than when we’re both covered in sweat in one of the company’s dance studios,_ he thinks. He makes do with kissing Taeyong’s neck, then his mouth again.

“Let’s go home,” Taeyong says against Jaehyun’s lips.

When they get back to the dorms, they find Doyoung waiting for them with a expectant smile. “Hi, you two.” His greeting is warm, hopeful.

Taeyong grabs Jaehyun’s hand and holds it up for Doyoung to see. “We’re getting hitched!” he announces gleefully, then laughs when Doyoung and Jaehyun both gape at him. “I’m  _kidding_ , obviously.”

“We _are_ going to claim each other, though,” adds Jaehyun.

Doyoung beams. “That’s great,” he says, and darts forward to kiss them both on the cheek. “I’m so happy for you.”

Jaehyun flushes with satisfaction and joy. He tightens his grip on Taeyong’s hand and thinks about how lucky he is.

“Do you want me to give you two some time alone?” asks Doyoung. “I know exchanging bites can be a very private thing.”

Jaehyun exchanges a thoughtful look with Taeyong. “We want you here too,” says Taeyong.

“We’re a team now,” Jaehyun agrees. “All three of us.”

Taeyong leads Jaehyun to his and Doyoung’s room. Doyoung follows only half a step behind them. “I can’t wait to smell like you too,” Taeyong tells Jaehyun in a low voice.

Jaehyun shivers with anticipation, because he knows what that really means:  _I can’t wait to be yours, in addition to Doyoung’s._ “I love you,” he says, impulsive but sincere. Maybe his love for Taeyong isn’t quite on the same level as his love for Doyoung yet, but he knows that with a little time, he’ll get there.

Taeyong sits on the bed, gathers Jaehyun into his arms, kisses him softly. “I love you too.”

Doyoung curls up next to them, present but letting the moment center Jaehyun and Taeyong as they whisper words of affirmation and tenderly undress each other to find the spots where they want to bite each other.

“You’re so beautiful, Jaehyun-ah,” says Taeyong reverently, covering every inch of Jaehyun’s bare skin with small kisses and loving caresses.

It makes Jaehyun want to melt. “Bite me,” he breathes. “Please, make me yours.”

Taeyong does. When his teeth puncture Jaehyun’s skin, the beta’s eyes fly wide. The pain may be sweet, but it still stings. He seeks out Doyoung’s gaze, holds it until Taeyong licks soothingly over the bite before coming up to kiss him.

Jaehyun sighs happily into his mouth, then it’s his turn to claim Taeyong. He does so with a sense of a pride. He has two partners who he adores and will care for as long as they want him. He has come so far from his days of clinging to Yuta just for the sake of not being alone. 

After biting Taeyong, he kisses the broken skin. “You’re mine now,” he murmurs.

“I’ve always thought our scents smelled good together,” Taeyong tells him with a smile.

For some reason, the sentiment makes Jaehyun blush. “Really?”

Taeyong pulls him close for a kiss. “Really.”

The kiss starts soft but grows heated as Taeyong lets his hands wander over Jaehyun’s body. Jaehyun lets himself savor it for a moment, then he touches Taeyong back. He tries to remember what Taeyong liked from when they slept together in 2018, but honestly, Jaehyun’s mind was so hazy at the time because of his heat that he isn’t sure what does it for the alpha.

Luckily he has Doyoung there to give him a nudge in the right direction.

“Jaehyunnie, you should see what Taeyong can do with his mouth,” says Doyoung, sounding aroused just from watching the two of them touch each other. To Taeyong, he coos, “You’d love to take care of him with your mouth, wouldn’t you?”

Taeyong makes a needy noise. “Can I?” he asks Jaehyun shyly.

“Please, yes.” Jaehyun expects Taeyong to go for his cock, which is rapidly hardening. Instead, Taeyong leans down, spreads the cheeks of Jaehyun’s ass, and dives in enthusiastically, licking hungrily inside. And oh! Jaehyun _does_ remember this. “Oh, fuck, Taeyong,” he keens.

“Isn’t he so good?” croons Doyoung. He inches closer, and Jaehyun reaches for him, pulling him in for a messy kiss, all tongue and teeth.

“He’s _so_ good,” Jaehyun agrees, his words almost swallowed entirely by Doyoung’s mouth on his. 

Taeyong digs his fingers into Jaehyun’s hips and makes a happy noise as he probes impossibly deeper with his tongue.

_He looks very at home between my legs,_ thinks Jaehyun, his fingers curling into Taeyong’s hair as tendrils of pleasure burst through his body. “God, Taeyongie,” he gasps and tugs sharply. “If you don’t stop, I’m gonna—”

“That’s kind of the point, Jaehyun-ah,” Doyoung murmurs and flicks his tongue across Jaehyun’s ear.

It would be easy for him to just give in to the pleasure and let himself go, but Jaehyun doesn’t want to come yet. His refractory period isn’t what it would be were he in rut or heat, and he isn’t ready to be finished. “No, please,” he whimpers. “I want to fuck you.”

Taeyong pulls away, and Jaehyun whines at the loss, despite it being what he asked for. Taeyong’s mouth is wet with Jaehyun’s slick, his eyes blown with arousal. “Who do you want to fuck?” he asks breathlessly. “Me or Doyoungie?”

Jaehyun’s mind spins as he considers the possibilities. “I want,” he begins, then narrows in on his desire. “I want you to fuck me while I fuck Doyoung.”

“Yes,” says Doyoung immediately. He surges forward to kiss Taeyong first, then Jaehyun. “Oh my god, yes, what a good idea.”

“A good idea, indeed,” Taeyong agrees, pressing one last kiss to Jaehyun’s inner thigh. “Our clever Jaehyunnie.”

Burning with pleasure at the compliment, Jaehyun helps Doyoung out of his clothing and drags his fingers through the slick already dripping down the omega’s legs. “You’re so fucking gorgeous,” he tells Doyoung.

“Mmm, isn’t he?” Taeyong chimes in, a fond smile on his face. He tugs on Doyoung’s ankle, kisses his leg, murmurs, “You two just lie back and I’ll take care of all the prep.”

Jaehyun does as he’s told, lying back and lazily making out with Doyoung as Taeyong stretches them open in tandem, one hand for each of them.

As to be expected, Doyoung runs out of patience first. “M’ready,” he insists and pulls away from Taeyong’s fingers to kneel above Jaehyun, lining himself up. “You good?” he asks, and when the younger man nods, he sinks himself down on Jaehyun’s cock.

“Oh, fuck, Doyoung!” groans Jaehyun, because Doyoung is so tight and wet and warm around him.

“You feel so good inside of me,” Doyoung purrs, “filling up me just right.”

Jaehyun wraps his hands around Doyoung’s hips to help him bounce on his cock. “Taeyong, please,” he begs the alpha, who is still kneeling beneath his legs with fingers crooked inside of him. “Want you to fuck me.”

Taeyong wriggles his fingers one final time before removing them. “Anything you want,” he promises, and then he’s thrusting into Jaehyun, and Jaehyun is choking on a garbled cry because it’s so much. Between Taeyong’s hardness inside him and Doyoung’s wetness around him, Jaehyun is overwhelmed with stimulation.

“Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit,” he gasps out. It’s better than anything he ever imagined. Every time Taeyong thrusts into him, his hips jut upwards and cause Doyoung to squirm and whimper.

“Look at you, taking me so good,” praises Taeyong in a low voice. “Good boy.”

Jaehyun mewls pathetically and wonders if Doyoung told Taeyong about his preferences, because how is Taeyong so good at scratching every itch of Jaehyun’s?

Taeyong reaches up to grab a fist full of Doyoung’s hair, dragging the omega’s head back sharply. “Isn’t our Jaehyunnie just so perfect?” he asks, voice half a growl.

“Perfect, he’s perfect,” Doyoung agrees brokenly, clearly already close to the brink.

Jaehyun helps him by closing his hand around Doyoung’s cock, squeezing and stroking until Doyoung spills with a full-body shudder that creates the most delicious friction around Jaehyun. “Shit, Doyoung!” he gasps. “I’m close! I’m close!”

As Doyoung goes limp over Jaehyun, Taeyong brings his hands back down from Doyoung’s hair to wrap them around Jaehyun’s thighs instead. “Go on,” he croons. “Come for me, Jaehyunnie.”

And Jaehyun does, his hips jerking violently as he empties himself inside of Doyoung with a loud cry, muffled only by Doyoung’s lips crashing onto his in a fervent kiss. He is careful not to lodge his knot inside of Doyoung, because Doyoung didn’t ask for it, and it would be beyond rude to knot someone without permission.

Plus, it’s nice to be able to cuddle without the hindrance of being tied together by a knot.

Doyoung lies on Jaehyun’s chest and peppers his face and neck with kisses, as Taeyong’s hands tighten around Jaehyun’s thighs, his fingers digging into the muscle. “Jaehyun, I—” he chokes out, and Jaehyun clenches around him.

“Come in me, Taeyongie,” he urges breathlessly.

Taeyong’s hips slam against Jaehyun’s ass, precise and harsh. Jaehyun hopes that he’ll be able to feel it tomorrow, even if he knows that future him will not appreciate being sore during dance rehearsals. He rocks back against Taeyong and feels the telltale swell of his forming knot.

“Don’t knot me,” he warns. “Just fill me up.”

“I will,” Taeyong chokes out. “I’ll fill you up so good.” He snaps his hips sharply, pressing deep as he comes, groaning. “Fuck, Jaehyun.”

Doyoung shifts, allowing Jaehyun to sit up and pull Taeyong close for a kiss. “So good,” Jaehyun mumbles against Taeyong’s lips.

Softening, Taeyong slips out of him and crawls up onto the bed to snuggle together with Doyoung and Jaehyun in a tangle of sweaty limbs. It’s a little cramped but it feels right.  _This is how it was meant to be,_ thinks Jaehyun drowsily.  _The three of us together._

“Holy shit, that was a great idea, Jaehyun,” murmurs Doyoung, tracing circles against Taeyong’s bare chest with light fingertips.

“Truly excellent,” agrees Taeyong. He kisses Jaehyun’s ear. “Well worth the wait.”

Jaehyun flushes and tucks himself between Taeyong and Doyoung. “I’m sorry it took me so long to...” he begins, but Taeyong cuts him off.

“There’s nothing to apologize for,” he says firmly. “Everything in its own time.”

“You should never feel like you have to force yourself with us, either of us,” adds Doyoung, wrapping his arms around Jaehyun. 

Taeyong presses a featherlight kiss to Jaehyun’s shoulder. “And we have all the time in the world ahead of us,” he points out. “We can do this as much as we want to.”

Jaehyun’s blush intensifies, his brain already thinking up countless other configurations he’d like to try with them. “As much as we want to,” he repeats sleepily, feeling warm and happy and loved with Doyoung and Taeyong on either side of him. He is theirs, and they are his.

“I do have one thought though,” says Doyoung. His eyes glint with good humor. “We’re going to need a bigger bed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, it's them! All three of them! Together!
> 
> Is this... the first time in this series I’ve included sex scenes where neither partner involved was in heat or rut? I think so. At least one of the stories I have loosely planned to come is also about non mating cycle sex, because even if this _is_ an a/b/o AU, not everything is about mating cycles lol.
> 
> Yes, I changed the number of chapters, so stay tuned for a coming epilogue!


	4. Epilogue, 2020

Doyoung thinks the lineup for “Make A Wish” is amazing. “It’s just so funny,” he says, not for the first time, “that in a pack with so few of us, we’ve ended up with a group that’s half omegas.” It’s the only U sub-unit, ever, to have more omegas than other presentation, and he takes Xiaojun and Shotaro under his wing with a fierce protectiveness that makes Taeyong and Jaehyun both grin.

“Mama bear,” Taeyong teases as they return to the dorms after their second day of dance rehearsals for the song, the four younger members of the sub-unit having gone off elsewhere together.

“Like you’re any better,” retorts Doyoung.

Jaehyun laughs. “He’s got you there,” he tells Taeyong. “You’re always trying to take care of everyone.”

“Um, as I _should_ ,” Taeyong says with a playfully indignant huff. “I take my role as the pack’s lead alpha very seriously, you know.”

“Poor Taeyongie. It’s a lot of work, isn’t it, to look after 22 members all by yourself, huh?” Jaehyun says and ruffles Taeyong’s hair.

Taeyong stops. “I don’t look after the pack all by myself,” he says softly. “I have the two of you with me.”

Doyoung smiles, agrees, “Of course you have us supporting you.”

“No,” says Taeyong, his voice gentle and full of fondness. “I meant that I have the two of you as my partners in leadership.”

Alphas may be the traditional leaders, but it’s common for packs for pick up a lead omega or beta when the lead alpha takes a mate. Doyoung has, for years, filled many aspects of the role of lead omega to Taeyong’s alpha; even Jaehyun has recently taken on some of the responsibilities one might associate with the leader of pack.

Jaehyun slips one hand into Taeyong’s, the other into Doyoung’s. “I’m happy to be by your side,” he tells the alpha. He means it. Every day, he chooses Taeyong and Doyoung, and they continue to choose him, and he is just so in love with both of them.

“I actually...” Taeyong swallows, the barest hint of nervousness fluttering through his body. “I’d like to make it official.”

Doyoung’s face splits in a wide grin. “Oh my god, Taeyongie, are you asking us to be your mates?” he asks, delighted.

Taeyong blushes. “I guess I am.”

Jaehyun brings their joined hands to his lips to kiss Taeyong’s knuckles. “Okay,” he says simply. “Yes.”

“Wait, we can’t do this in the dorm elevator! Are you serious? Dear God, why must I be burdened with the two least romantic souls on this entire planet?” asks Doyoung with an eye roll, his voice affectionate rather than irritated.

“Once we get inside, I’ll go down on one knee if you’d like,” offers Taeyong lightly.

Mating and marriage isn’t exactly the same thing, but they hold similar weights. A lifelong commitment. The promise of forever.

Doyoung doesn’t need an elaborate gesture to know that he wants to spend the rest of his life in partnership with Jaehyun and Taeyong, but still. “You should build a pretty nest for me and Jaehyunnie,” he informs Taeyong, jokingly haughty, “to prove that you’re a capable alpha who can provide for us.”

Jaehyun laughs as he unlocks the door to their dorm. He moved into the room shared by Taeyong and Doyoung months ago. “I don’t need that,” he says fondly. “But I could help Taeyong make you a nest.” He tugs Doyoung closer, kissing the side of his head as the door swings open, and murmurs, “Show our precious omega just how much we love and cherish him.”

“Ugh, don’t be gross in public!”

Mark and Yuta are in the living room when they enter, and it’s the latter who has spoken, his voice bright and teasing.

“Aw, I think they’re cute,” says Mark. “Our pack parents.”

“Oh, you think we’re the pack parents _now_? Just you wait.” Doyoung smirks, then gasps when Taeyong, true to his word, drops down to one knee. “Taeyong!” he protests, face burning red with happy embarrassment.

Taeyong smiles innocently up at him. “Kim Doyoung,” he says, then turns his attention to Jaehyun. “Jung Jaehyun.” He holds out his hands to them. “I love and adore you and want to be with you, the both of you, for the rest of our lives.”

Yuta mimes gagging, and Mark mutters, “Yo, is this really happening? Should we be here for this?” though neither of them make any move to leave.

“If you two will have me,” continues Taeyong, ignoring the interruption from the peanut gallery, “I would like to take you as my mates.”

Doyoung and Jaehyun look at each other and find only love and surety. “Yes,” says Jaehyun, even though he already said it in the elevator. “Yes, I want that too.”

“Of _course_ I want to be your mate,” Doyoung adds, and suddenly his eyes are welling with emotion. “Both of you. I... I love you so much.”

Jaehyun helps Taeyong back to his feet, then they collectively gather Doyoung into their arms for a close embrace, whispering quiet words of love and affirmation.

The moment is ruined by cooing from Mark and cheering from Yuta. “If I had a vuvuzela, I’d be be blasting it so hard right now,” says Yuta, grinning.

Jaehyun pulls away from the group hug long enough to flip Yuta off, which only serves to make the alpha wheeze with laughter.

“Congratulations, you three!” Mark says, face shining with joy for his packmates.

“Thank you!” Taeyong chirps back happily. He kisses Doyoung’s cheek, which is still flushed pink, and quietly asks, “Do you still want me and Jaehyun to build you that nest?”

Doyoung laughs, still emotional. “No, you absolute dork. I just want the two of you.”

“You have us,” Jaehyun assures him and presses a kiss to his nose.

“Yes, yes, you all have each other, but in your bedroom, please, and not the living room,” Yuta says loudly. “We can throw a celebratory party later, but no one needs to see you guys bite each other. Do that in private.”

“Okay, _mom_ ,” grumbles Jaehyun good-naturedly.

Yuta makes an offended noise. “You can’t accuse me of being a mom when you’re literally dating Taeyong and Doyoung!” he protests. “ _They’re_ the moms!”

Taeyong is already tugging Jaehyun and Doyoung to their room.

When Doyoung and Taeyong first moved in together, they had merely pushed their two twin-sized beds to form an imitation of a larger bed. Once Jaehyun joined them, they upgraded to an actual king. It takes up the vast majority of the room, but it’s so worth it.

Doyoung sinks onto the mattress. “I can’t believe you did that in front of Yuta and Mark,” he says to Taeyong.

Jaehyun snickers. “As if you don’t love being loved in front of other people,” he teases.

Taeyong ghosts his fingers over the scent glands on Doyoung’s neck. “It’s too bad that we can’t use these ones of our mating bites,” he murmurs. “You’d look so pretty showing our marks off to the world.”

“You don’t think he’d look good with our bites on his inner thighs?” asks Jaehyun, tone laced with desire as he loosens the drawstring of Doyoung’s sweatpants. “Every time he opens his legs, it’d be a reminder that he’s ours.”

Doyoung shivers in anticipation. “Yours,” he agrees.

Once they bite each other’s glands, their biology will be immutably molded to match each other. Their cycles will always line up, though Jaehyun knows that as a beta, being mated to both an alpha and an omega means that it will still be left up to chance whether he goes into heat or rut for any given cycle. _Variety. It’s the spice of life,_ he thinks, knowing that either way, he’ll always be in good hands with Taeyong and Doyoung.

“Well, Doyoungie, who do you want to bite you first?” asks Taeyong, helping Jaehyun to slide the omega’s pants down his legs, revealing the large scent glands on his inner thighs.

Doyoung kicks his pants the rest of the way off and spreads his legs as wide as he can manage, appreciating the way the sight makes both Taeyong and Jaehyun’s eyes gleam. “My pretty, clever boys,” he purrs and beckons them to him until they are close enough for him to cradle a hand behind each of their heads. “I think you’ll be able to bite me at the same time, don’t you think?”

Jaehyun and Taeyong both nod, then Jaehyun twists his head to kiss Taeyong, lazy and loving, before they lower themselves between Doyoung’s spread legs. “Love you, Doyoung-ah,” he murmurs, his breath hot against Doyoung’s bare thigh.

“Love you too,” Doyoung whispers and cards his fingers through Jaehyun’s and Taeyong’s hair, unable to tear his gaze away as his two partners press their mouths to his scent glands in tandem. His heart feels so warm, so full of love, like it might just burst out of his chest, exploding with his happiness.

His eyes flutter closed when their teeth sink in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic was a monster to finish, but I did it! I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed telling it. Personally, I think jaedotae is a wildly underrated polyship in NCT fandom, and I would love to write more stories about them outside of this AU. My fellow jaedotae enthusiasts, let me know in the comments what else you’d like to see about them :)
> 
> Even though, this was the finale fic for what I call the main canon of this series, this series is definitely not over. Next up is a Jisung oneshot, then a fic about Xiaojun (which I’ve been thinking about for a long time now and am very excited for), and I have other stories that I know I want to write for the series, but I might take a short break from this AU and post some other fics first, just so I don’t burn myself out on a/b/o stuff.
> 
> Huge huge thank you to everyone who read, kudosed, and commented on this wild ride of Doyoung, Jaehyun, and Taeyong. I love you all!
> 
> [tumblr](https://sinchun.tumblr.com)


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